April 7, 2025
By: Brian Cadle
The DeKalb Lady Tiger Tennis team rallied from a 3-0 early deficit to pull out a 5-4 victory over Cannon County on Friday at the Smithville Golf Club. The girls started the match with losses at #1 and #2 singles and #1 doubles. Abby Joe Crook and Kayce Hale took the court at #2 doubles and kicked off the momentum change. Crook, Hale, and Jayde Lester all won their doubles and singles matches to account for the 5 match victories to seal the victory. Kaylee Hoersch partnered with Lester for the #3 doubles win. DeKalb Head Coach Brian Cadle praised the Lady Tigers’ comeback effort. “Cannon always brings solid and consistent players each year and provides a huge challenge for us. I am so proud of our girls and their continual improvement match by match.” The girls ended the week with a 5-3 record, winning against York last Monday.
The boys’ team dropped their match to the Lions by a score of 8-1. Lance Duke and Ian Barnes accounted for the sole victory for the Tigers. Cannon’s depth from the 1st to 6th seed was too much for DeKalb. “Our boys play together often in the off-season with Cannon County’s boys here in Smithville for our USTA Junior Team Tennis program. We know each other well and understand how deep Cannon’s team is. They simply got the best of us today.” The Tigers ended the week with a 6-2 record, as they also recorded a victory against York. DeKalb goes on the road for matches at Smyrna and Upperman before taking off Friday and Saturday for DeKalb County High School’s prom this weekend.