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Seahawks add another state tennis title
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LEXINGTON -- Lindsey Burke tried not to think about it. But it was hard not to notice that most of her Hilton Head Island High School teammates had gathered at the fence to watch her No. 2 singles match against J.L Mann's Olivia Self.
She started to realize that a win meant a state championship. Burke tried to purge the thought from her mind.
"I really didn't want to think about it," Burke said. "I just wanted to concentrate on winning, even if it was the deciding match."
Once Burke defeated Self 6-1, 6-2, her teammates stormed the court to celebrate a second-straight Class 3-A state title.
Burke's win put the Seahawks over the four-match magic number as Hilton Head defeated J.L. Mann 6-1 on Saturday at the Lexington County Tennis Center to win another championship.
"It feels pretty good," Seahawks No. 1 singles player Brooke Ferry said. "We were all pretty excited. We ran out and cheered on our girl."
Ferry's match was among the first to end as she dictated play against Maria Hesketh, frustrating the Patriots No. 1 repeatedly with her shot-making in a 6-2, 6-1 win.
It didn't help that Hesketh appeared to be suffering from a couple of injuries.
"I could see that her legs were taped and her wrist was taped," Ferry said. "It looked like she had been injured. I just tried to stay in the point as long as I can hoping that she would make a mistake."
It was the last match for Ferry as a member of the Seahawks, a fact that was not lost on her. It served to give her a little extra motivation in her match.
"I was pretty nervous in the beginning," Ferry said. "I think that was why. I didn't want to lose my last match for the high school. I'm just so glad to have won."
That nervousness isn't reflective of the reputation Ferry has built as both a player and a leader for Hilton Head High.
"If there was ever a player you could say was the most valuable player, that would be Brooke Ferry," Seahawks coach Bill Danzell said. "Her game is outstanding on every level. She's also a great leader. She motivates all the girls."
Part of her motivational tactics included cheering on Burke after wins by Sabrina Drammis and Kelly Cameron at No. 3 and No. 4 singles put the match on Burke's racquet.
Even though Burke was up a set and a break, she never let it creep into her head that the match was hers.
"You can never give up because there you can never know what's going to can happen," Burke said. "That's what I was thinking. I just can't let up."
The Seahawks also tacked on doubles wins by Cameron and Lauren Kelly and Hayley Thompson and Caitlin Jilly in pro sets. Hilton Head's only loss came at No. 5 singles with J.L. Mann's Emily Erickson defeating Logan Danzell 6-2, 7-5.
The Seahawks have their back-to-back crowns, now comes the hardest part: The waiting.
"Now we have to wait to get our rings," Ferry said with a laugh. "That's pretty unfair."
Singles
No. 1 -- Brooke Ferry (H) def. Maria Hesketh 6-2, 6-1; No. 2 -- Lindsey Burke def. Olivia Self 6-2, 6-3; No. 3 -- Sabrina Drammis (H) def. Lindsay Gregory 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 -- Kelly Cameron def. Abby Gregory 6-3, 6-0; No. 5 -- Emily Erickson (J.L.) def. Logan Danzell 6-2, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- Lauren Kelly/Cameron (H) def. Erickson/L. Gregory 8-0; No. 2 -- Hayley Thompson/Caitlin Jilly def. Carly Cardulkien/Grace Williams 8-5.
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