
Scotland’s Morgan Stewart returns a shot Tuesday against Richmond.
Neel Madhavan | Daily Journal & Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — In a rivalry showdown that started late afternoon and lasted until well after dark, the Scotland girls tennis team edged Richmond 5-4 Tuesday evening.
The two teams split the singles matches, with each winning three. Players played best-of-three sets and if a third set was played, it was decided by a super-tiebreaker.
Scotland won at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 positions, while Richmond won at the No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 spots.
Scotland’s Laura Wlodarczak defeated Richmond’s Paris Almon 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 at No. 1; Richmond’s Neely Turner won by forfeit over Scotland’s Valeria Carranza at No. 2; Scotland’s Olivia Aiken beat Richmond’s Addison Massey 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3; Scotland’s Morgan Stewart toughed out a 3-6, 6-1, 11-9 win over Richmond’s Kirsten McDonald at No. 4; Richmond’s Maren Carter cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Scotland’s Maegan Gunnells at No. 5; and Richmond’s Hanna Smith beat Scotland’s Samantha Collard 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6.
With the singles points halved, the match came down to doubles.
With Richmond’s Smith and Mariah Waddell easing to an 8-0 win over Scotland’s Maren Gallins and Ciannah Bender at the No. 3 position, Scotland needed to sweep the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles matches to pull out the team win.
Scotland’s Stewart and Collard combined to beat Richmond’s Almon and Turner 9-7 at the No. 1 doubles spot, while Scotland’s Wlodarczak and Cora Clemmons teamed up to defeat Richmond’s Massey and McDonald 8-6 at the No. 2 position to secure the final points needed for the win.
Reach Neel Madhavan at 910-817-2671 ext. 2751 or nmadhavan@www.yourdailyjournal.com. Follow on Twitter at @NeelMadhavan.