North Lenoir secures the win on Senior Night over Ayden-Grifton
North Lenoir High School's tennis team (11-5) celebrated their first 10-win season since 2019 after a close 5-4 victory over Ayden-Grifton in their final regular-season game.
North Lenoir's head coach, Scott Alston, praised the team's performance: "We pulled out a tough victory today against a very athletic AG team. We were down our 1 seed, but our guys rallied and pulled through to finish on a high note. Very proud of our seniors today on their solid play as well on Senior Night!"
Sophomore Casey Alston, who played number one, said, "I was pretty satisfied with the way I performed today. I tried my hardest and gave it my all. Unfortunately, I lost my singles match (6-4) (6-4). But in doubles, Maddox Smith and I played great and won the match to secure the win in a tiebreaker. I think this team has great potential for a deep playoff run this year. We're a very close-knit team as we have been playing together for years."
Senior Josh Hardy expressed pride in the team's achievements: "After today's win, I feel accomplished that we got to the end of the season with such a good record of 11-5. I'm proud to be part of such a great team. Everybody is so encouraging, and we have a bond like no other team; it's more like a family for the past 4 years." He added, "I'm just glad that the last point I ever played for the regular season ended with a grand slam at the net to win the doubles match with my partner, Zack Yaraus."
Match Results:
Singles: Jackson Evans (Sr., AG) def. Casey Alston (Fr., NL) 6-4, 6-4
Singles: Josh Hardy (Sr., NL) def. Ezekiel Dawson (Sr., AG) 7-5, 6-0
Singles: Zachary Yarus (So., NL) def. Cody Suggs (Sr., AG) 6-3, 6-2
Singles: Maddox Smith (Fr., NL) def. Owen Baxter (Sr., AG) 6-1, 6-0
Singles: Tremayne Phillips (Sr., AG) def. Jared Carlyle (Sr., NL) 6-3, 6-2
Singles: Cody Syomin (Sr., AG) def. Jack Jones (Jr., NL) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles: Maddox Smith (Fr., NL) & Casey Alston (Fr., NL) def. Jackson Evans (Sr., AG) & Ezekiel Dawson (Sr., AG) 9-8 (7-4)
Doubles: Josh Hardy (Sr., NL) & Zachary Yarus (So., NL) def. Cody Suggs (Sr., AG) & Tremayne Phillips (Sr., AG) 9-7
Doubles: Alex Dykes (Sr.,AG) & Owen Baxter (Sr.,AG) def (Sr.,NL) & Jack Jones (Jr., NL)
