TENNIS

The Gilbert High School girl’s tennis team, under the direction of 1st year head coach Patty Spires, won the Region 5-3A title.

Despite a tough schedule with opponents in higher classifications like White Knoll, Brookland Cayce, North Augusta and Saluda and local rivals like Batesburg Leesville, there was hardly a match this year where the Lady Indians did not to rally for the very last point.

Compared to last season, according to Spires, Gilbert tennis has improved with the girls learning to how to strike the ball better and learning how to build points more effectively. They have also improved in their on-court strategies.

What really made the team successful this year was that the girls continued to lift up their teammates and no one missed practice. Spires said the players would even would practice on their own.

With the tennis team heading to the Class 3A playoffs, the opposition will get stiffer. This is especially true with Region 7-3A, which according to Spires, include some of the toughest schools that will face this season.

The biggest goal for Gilbert is to reach the 3rd round and get past Georgetown. A potential matchup could only take place in the Lower State final and the Lady Indians would have homecourt advantage.

Gilbert has a 1st round bye and will play host on Monday to either Loris or Waccamaw in the 2nd round. Another Region 5-3A team, Pelion, also had a bye and will either travel Monday to top seed Bishop England or play host to Cheraw.

When it comes to collegiate tennis, Spires does not really focus on that as much. She wants the girls to enjoy their camaraderie as a high school team.

Gilbert has had a few tennis players in the past 10 years who were invited to play at small colleges and expect to have a few more in 2 years to receive scholarship offers. Regardless of what the players decide, Spires and Gilbert High School will support their decisions about the future and will cheer them on.