Tuesday afternoon, the Lady Eagles’ Varsity Tennis team defeated Epiphany 7-2. Epiphany traveled from New Bern on a pretty September day to be hosted by RMA. With some great wins early in the match, the girls we were able to work up a substantial lead which they maintained for the rest of the afternoon.

The Falcons did not stand a chance against the starting doubles line up. Coach High had put together a strong combo of players for each pair. Julia High and Haven Ross played the number one spot and proved their skills through a quick win of 8-0. High made some key serves and Ross was very consistent with her shots overall. On court two, Lindsey Ross and Olivia Turnage (two seniors who have been a part of the team for years), also secured a win early on in the match with a score of 8-5. Lindsey and Olivia were a great team and each had some clutch shots. For the number three doubles court, senior Elizabeth Gay and junior Suzanna Mosley proved to be a strong pair. Gay has been on the varsity team since her sophomore year and Mosley, a junior, is a recent addition to the varsity team. Suzanna and Elizabeth won their match in an intense tiebreaker after both teams reached 8-8. Elizabeth Gay was very competitive and had some great volleys at the net. The Epiphany falcons put up a tough fight and wanted to win just as badly as our eagles. With each doubles court proving to be victorious, the Eagles swept Epiphany in the first three sets. The RMA doubles team showed great sportsmanship and relentless effort. In the end all of the doubles came out with the win.

After the doubles teams had cleared the court, singles matches began. Sadly, the Eagles were not as dominant in singles as RMA won four out of the six single games. Julia High, playing on court one, was victorious with a 6-0, 6-0, win. High soared over the Falcons’ number one seed with a spectacular performance. The second seed freshman, Haven Ross, fought hard and came out with a 6-1 win in the first set, and finished with a 6-0 win in the second set. Haven had taken senior, Sam Sconyers’, spot due to a shoulder injury. Sam was distraught because she was not able to play; however, she is likely to return to the court soon, hopefully in the next week. Senior Lindsey Ross beat the Falcons’ number three see 6-1, 6-0. Fourth seed Ann Sumner Thorp contributed to the team’s victories with her scores ending in 6-1, 6-0. Thorp had some very good shots and serves. She shows great potential and still has three more years of Varsity Tennis left in her high school career. Junior Rachel Scott Dunn took a devastating lost to Epiphany’s number five seed. Rachel Scott put in her best effort but fell a little short of the dub. Dunn is now very hungry for victory. The number six seed, Emily Cheston, was also not quite victorious; however, she made some good shots and made the Eagles proud. Cheston is a junior who has been a nice addition to the varsity team this year. She demonstrates good work ethic and is always a joy to have at practice.

After the match, senior Olivia Turnage said that “It was really good to beat a conference team 7-2. Our chances of winning conference are looking really good. I am sad this is my last year with a team who has grown so close.” The Falcons were a joy to host and to beat at home. The RMA Varsity Girls’ Tennis has really progressed over the course of this past season. The Lady Eagles are sure to be a great group within the conference due to the girls’ positive attitudes and great competition. This year has been successful so far, and with the season is still in full swing, all of the players are eager to see what is in store over the next few weeks.