Smith qualifies for 4A Mideast tennis regionals

ROCKINGHAM — Following a two-day tournament, one member of the Richmond Senior High School girls’ tennis team is going to regionals.

Senior Hanna Smith, the Lady Raiders’ No. 1 singles player this season, finished second overall in the Sandhills Athletic Conference 4A championship tournament.

With the conference tournament split into 3A and 4A brackets, Richmond hosted Pinecrest and Hoke County high schools Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wrapping up her run at a SAC singles championship Tuesday, Smith fell short in the title match. But as the No. 2 seed, she secured the Lady Raiders’ first regional appearance since 2021, which featured former players Kearston Bruce and Katie Way in doubles.

“I think I’ve played pretty well the last two days,” Smith said. “There have been a lot of talented players I’ve competed against this year and I think that really helped me in the conference tournament.

“Playing on our home court also gave me a lot of confidence,” she added. “I’m really excited to be able to represent Richmond and play in my first regionals.”

Head coach Jessica Covington separated Richmond’s players into the singles and doubles brackets. All matches from the quarterfinals on were played as a best-of-three sets and the tournament was single-elimination.

Alongside Smith in singles action were junior Jentry Denson and sophomore Angelina Culbreth and Ella Edwards. Smith and Denson both had first-round byes, while Culbreth and Edwards didn’t get past the opening round.

On her way to the championship match, No. 2 Smith defeated No. 10 Morgan Wathen (Pinecrest) 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. She followed that with a 6-4, 6-0 victory against Dylan Macrae (Pinecrest) in the semifinals.

Facing top-seeded Livia Pratt of Pinecrest, Smith came up short 1-6, 6-0 in the title bout.

No. 4 Denson’s run came to an end in the quarterfinals when she fell 5-7, 3-6 to No. 5 Camerson Groner (Pinecrest).

Playing 8-game pro sets in the opening round, No. 9 Culbreth was defeated 3-8 by No. 8 Azari McLean (Hoke County) and No. 11 Edwards lost 4-8 to No. 6 Hera Lin (Hoke County).

Competing for the Lady Raiders in the doubles tournament were No. 3 sophomore Colbie Covington and senior Madison Grimes, as well as No. 5 seniors Kenleigh Parker and Ava Thompson.

Covington and Grimes received a first-round bye, while Parker and Thompson started in the round of 10 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Facing No. 12 Razia Cabero and Anabelle Lester (Hoke County) in the first round, Parker and Thompson rolled to an 8-0 shutout victory.

The two senior Lady Raiders saw their luck run out in the quarterfinals against No. 4 Kaleah Parker and Laura Pena (Hoke County). Parker and Thompson were eliminated by scores of 0-6 and 3-6.

Also exiting in the quarterfinals were Denson and Grimes. Competing against No. 11 Lena Petrouske and Isabella Plunkett (Pinecrest), the two Lady Raiders lost 4-6, 1-6.

“Our goal this season was to qualify as a team for regionals,” head coach Jessica Covington explained. “While we came up just short of that, I am so proud of all the girls for the way they continued to battle and play hard, especially in the conference tournament. We had a really successful season.

“We are so happy for Hanna for making regionals,” she added. “Hanna has been a staple in our program for four years and she’s proven that hard work pays off. She will represent the team so well in the playoffs.”

The Lady Raiders finished the season with a 4-6 overall record, which came against SAC opponents.

Had Richmond finished as a top-two seed out of the 3A and 4A conference tournaments, the Lady Raiders would have made the postseason as a team.

Smith will compete in the NCHSAA 4A Mideast Regional tournament at East Chapel Hill High School over a two-day span Oct. 18 and 19.