Season ends for T-Bred girls' tennis team

What was a standout season for the South Aiken High School varsity girls' tennis team recently came to an end.

The Thoroughbreds advanced to the semifinals of the Class AAA, Division II state tournament before bowing out to eventual state champion Hilton Head.

"We made it further than we had in a long time," said Hanna Solesbee, team captain and No. 5 singles player.

South Aiken finished the season with an 11-2 record, which included three wins in four hard-fought matches against the Thoroughbreds' top rival, Brookland-Cayce.

"They really worked hard and pulled together," said team mother Sheila Wray. "They had a small number of girls, and everybody had to be at their best."

South Aiken had nine girls on the team coached by Roberto Garcia. This was the second season for Garcia, who is also the tennis director at Woodside Plantation Country Club.

"We've got a pretty competitive team," Garcia said of the squad that has good balance of talent among its top players.

Leading the way for the Thoroughbreds was No. 1 singles player Kayla Calvert. Only an eighth grader, Calvert has established herself as one of the top players in the area. She recently won the MACH-Aiken Junior Tennis Championship tournament's singles flight in the 14-year-old girls bracket. That event was held at the H. Odell Weeks Tennis Center, where he father Mark Calvert is the head teaching pro at the Weeks Tennis Center.

"We always expected her to win," Solsbee said.

Shannon Warenke, the No. 2 singles player, was also someone her teammates could count on. Her steady play was matched by the flair for the dramatic displayed by sisters Michelle and Ashley Tam. Each came through with a tiebreaker victory in matches against Brookland-Cayce.

The teams split their regular season matches and finished tied for first place in the region. A tiebreaking match was played to determine which would be the higher seed in the Lower State playoffs. After playing to a standstill, Michelle pulled South Aiken through with a thrilling tiebreaking victory.

After defeating North Myrtle Beach in the first round of the playoffs, South Aiken was pitted against Brookland-Cayce for the fourth time this season. This time it was Ashley who won a tiebreaker that allowed the Thoroughbreds to win another close match against their region rival.

"Each of them got a deciding match in the rivalry with Brookland-Cayce and completed comebacks," Garcia said.

Although South Aiken just completed a great season, it could be even better in the future. The Thoroughbreds will lose three players to graduation but have a solid core of underclassmen returning next season.

"We've got a young team. We'll keep going forward," Garcia said, even though his team could be playing in Class AAAA next season. "We might face stronger competition, but it helps in recruiting. We need more younger players to come out next year."

Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.