Tennis falls to TCHS

Published 10:24 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Demopolis dropped its first match in nearly two weeks 12-6 Tuesday when it hosted Tuscaloosa County.

“We played like we’d been on spring break for a week,” head coach Jeremy Sullivan said. “We’re having a little bit of a tough time getting back in the swing of things.”

The Tigers fell short in the boys draw, losing 5-4. In singles action, Walker McNeil won 8-1.

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“Walker hasn’t been challenged all year,” Sullivan said of the Tigers No. 1 seed on the boys side.

Dominique Benison, the team’s No. 2 seed, won 7-5 in a tie-breaker set after playing to an 8-8 stalemate.

“I thought he played the best tennis he’s played all year,” Sullivan said. “He’s becoming more and more consistent for us. He and Walker are our most consistent players.”

Neilsen Renner, the No. 3 seed, won his match 8-3. The boys’ final win came in doubles action when Renner and Benison picked up an 8-4 victory.

On the girls’ side, Demopolis’ only singles win came from Hillary Stapp, who picked up an 8-4 victory. The ladies’ lone doubles victory was an 8-4 win by Stapp and Alexa Beech.

The team is scheduled to play again Friday against Holy Spirit.

“We need to just keep working on our fundamentals, try to get a little bit better everyday and by the time sectionals roll around, we need to be playing our best tennis of the year,” Sullivan said.