The Vestavia Hills High School boys’ tennis team had a perfect finish in the singles finals of Tuesday’s 79th AHSAA State Tennis Championships at the Mobile Tennis Center as the Rebels won their third consecutive Class 7A state title.
The Vestavia girls also won the 7A championship, the 13th for the Rebels in the 61-year history of the Alabama High School Athletic Association girls’ championships.
In Class 4A/5A action, Houston Academy’s boys won their first championship and defending champion UMS-Wright cruised to its 18th girls’ title overall and third since 2019.
All six Vestavia boys won their way into the state finals Monday and all six won state titles as Vestavia Hills, coached by Oliver Aaron, won the boys’ title with a total of 58 points. It was the ninth state championship for the Rebels. Florence finished second with 56 points and Auburn was third with 20.
Vestavia Hills’ girls, coached by Timarie Fisk, captured the championship with 41 points. Defending state champion Auburn won the final doubles match of the tourney over Huntsville to move into second place with 30 points. Huntsville was third with 27 points, followed by Montgomery Academy with 20 points.
Vestavia senior Luke Bedwell won at No. 1 singles beating Porter Hornigold of Fairhope 6-0, 6-1. It was his third straight state tennis title, but his first at No. 1. He won the No. 2 singles crown in 2023 and captured the No. 5 singles crown for the Rebels in 2022.
Florence and Auburn battled it out for second place, but neither could get past the Vestavia players in the singles finals.
John Michael Yanosky won at No. 2 singles for Vestavia, Andrew Pipkin won at No. 3, Brayden Helms at No. 4, Louis Kolettis at No. 5, and Parker Liu at No. 6.
Classes 7A and 4A/5A opened the 2024 state championships with boys’ and girls’ competition Monday and both divisions closed out their finals Tuesday. Classes 1A/3A and Class 6A hold their state tennis tourneys at Mobile Tennis Center Thursday and Friday.
Aaron’s Rebels also won two of three doubles titles Tuesday with Helms and Yanosky claiming the No. 1 doubles title while Pipkin and Kolettis won at No. 3. Florence’s team of Jake Champion and Jack White beat Vestavia’s Ben Cusmariu and Bedwell, 6-4. 2-6, 10-6 in the No. 2 doubles finals.
The Vestavia Hills girls’ tennis team was almost as dominating, capturing four of the six singles titles and one doubles crown. The No. 1 singles winner was Montgomery Academy’s Gabby Barrera, who won the 7A crown for the second straight year. She beat Huntsville’s Mazie MacGrotty, 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match. Barrera met Mountain Brook’s Pippa Roy in the 2022 finals falling 6-0, 6-4 and reached the 6A semifinals as a freshman losing in the semifinals. Roy, who is 33-0 in her four-year career at Class 6A Mountain Brook, will open play Thursday with hopes of becoming just the seventh girls’ player in state history to win four No. 1 singles state titles in a row.
Vestavia’s state winners on Tuesday were Kensley Outzen at No. 2, Caroline Helms at No. 3, Peyton Standifer at No. 5 and Riley McClain at No. 6. In the doubles finals, Helms and Wynn Strudel pulled out a 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 win over Auburn’s Victoria Choo and Sophie Smith to close out the tournament for the Rebels in what was considered the most competitive match of the tourney.
Hoover was voted the Class 7A girls’ tournament Sportsmanship Award recipient.
CLASS 4A/5A
Houston Academy parlayed a strong second-day finish Tuesday with three of four players reaching the finals capturing singles titles and two doubles teams walking away with state championships. The end result for the Raiders of coach William Hart was the school’s first-ever AHSAA tennis title.
Houston Academy’s boys amassed 73 points to beat runner-up Jasper by 23 points. The Vikings had a strong showing as well with 49 points – led by their No. 2 doubles team of Cooper Ford and Hayes Hopkins, who defeated Houston Academy’s Wills McRae and Thomas Buntin 6-0, 7-6 in the finals.
The Raiders won the state title even though its No. 1 singles player Michael Peidra lost to Jasper senior William Johnson 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals. Deshler sophom*ore Everette Minshew then beat Johnson in the championship match 7-5. 6-1 to claim the No. 1 singles title. Piedra, who won the Class 1A/3A No. 1 singles championship in 2022 and finished runner-up in Class 4A/5A last season, rebounded in the doubles finals to win the No. 1 championship teaming with Brody Williams beating Anderson Lambert and Isaac Butler of Boaz 6-4, 6-1.
Houston Academy’s singles winners included Jason Mun (No. 3), McRae (No. 4) and Buntin (No. 5). LAMP had the other two singles winners, Ian Kim (No. 2) and Wonjun Lee (No. 6). Kim was the only repeat winner from 2023 – winning at No. 2 for the second straight year.
Mun and Langley King combined to claim the No. 3 doubles championship for the Raiders while Jasper’s Cooper Ford and Hayes Hopkins won over McRae and Buntin in the No. 2 doubles finals.
Coach Meridy Jones’ UMS-Wright girls posted four singles winners and two doubles championships to finish with 75 points. Russellville finished second with 45 points and Jasper had 40 to take third place.
Gulf Shores freshman Tereza Mojs rose to the top in the Class 4A/5A girls’ singles competition with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Russellville senior Peyton Parrish in the No. 1 singles finals. UMS-Wright’s singles champions included Carol Murray (No. 2), Kate Huddle (No. 3), Ann-Dyas Thompson (No. 5) and Victoria Rizk (Noi. 6). The Bulldogs’ No. 1 doubles team consisting of Sarah Ladd and Murray beat Ady Preston and Lila Oliver of Jasper 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 1 doubles finals.
For complete results of Tuesday’s tennis results, go to the state tennis tournament links found on the front page of www.ahsaa.com.
AHSAA 2024 TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
MOBILE TENNIS CENTER
Tuesday’s Results
CLASS 7A
BOYS’ TEAM SCORING
1) Vestavia Hills 58; 2) Florence 26; 3) Auburn 20; 4) Hoover 16; 5) Bob Jones 14; 6) Montgomery Academy 9; 7) Fairhope 4; 8) Daphne 0
CLASS 7A BOYS’ SINGLES
Tuesday’s Championship Results
No. 1: Luke Bedwell, Vestavia Hills def. Porter Hornigold, Fairhope, 6-0, 6-1
No. 2: John Michael Yanosky, Vestavia Hills def. Jonah Moro, Bob Jones, 6-1, 6-3
No. 3: Andrew Pipkin, Vestavia Hills def. Jason Wang, Auburn, 6-1, 6-0
No. 4: Brayden Helms, Vestavia Hills def. Cade Black, Florence, 6-2, 6-3
No. 5: Louis Kolettis, Vestavia Hills def. Shin Kim, Auburn, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 14-12
No. 6: Parker Liu, Vestavia Hills def. Wyler Washburn, Hoover, 6-3, 6-2
Tuesday’s Doubles Semifinal Results
No. 1: Brayden Helms/John Michael Yanosky, Vestavia Hills def. Cohen Joiner/Cade Black, Florence, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2: Jake Champion/Jack White, Florence def. Ben Cusmariu/Luke Bedwell, Vestavia Hills, 6-4. 2-6, 10-6
No. 3: Andrew Pipkin/Louis Kolettis, Vestavia Hills def. Jackson Plugge/C.L. Colby, Hoover, 6-2, 6-3
CLASS 7A GIRLS TEAM SCORING
1) Vestavia Hills 41; 2) Auburn 30; 3) Huntsville 27; 4) Montgomery Academy 20; 5) Hoover 13; 6) Fairhope 10; 7) James Clemens 4; 8) Daphne 0
CLASS 7A GIRLS’ SINGLES
Tuesday’s Championship Matches
No. 1: Gabby Barrera, Montgomery Academy def. Mazie MacGrotty, Huntsville, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2: Kenley Outzen, Vestavia Hills def. Mae Mae Voltz, Montgomery Academy, 6-4, 6-3
No. 3: Caroline Helms, Vestavia Hills def. Lola Campbell, Montgomery Academy, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4: Kristina Hwangpo, Hoover def. Hanbi Youn, Auburn, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5: Peyton Standifer, Vestavia Hills def. Emie Little, Huntsville, 6-3, 6-1
No. 6: Riley McClain, Vestavia Hills def. Jiyeon Park, Auburn, 6-3, 6-4
Tuesday’s Doubles Semifinal Results
No. 1: Gabby Berrera/Mae Mae Voltz, Montgomery Academy def. Mazie MacGrotty/Abby Brown, Huntsville, 6-1, 6-1
No. 2: Caroline Helms/Wynn Strubel, Vestavia Hills def. Victoria Choo/Sophie Smith, Auburn, 4-6, 7-5, 10-6
No. 3: Shreya Ejantkar/Naomi Hanks, Auburn def. Sophie Shearburn/Emie Little, Huntsville, 6-1, 2-6, 10-6.
CLASS 4A/5A
BOYS’ TEAM SCORING
1) Houston Academy 73; 2) Jasper 49; 3) LAMP 41; 4) Deshler 36; 5) Russellville 29; 6) Boaz 25; 7) Randolph 16; 8) T.R. Miller 13; 9) Bayside Academy 10; 10) UMS-Wright 9; 11) Southside-Gadsden 8; 12) Springville 7; 13) Sylacauga 6; 14) Leeds 4; 14) Andalusia 4; 16) Westminster Christian 3
BOYS’ SINGLES FINALS
Tuesday’s Championship Match Results
No. 1: Everette Minshew, Deshler def. William Johnson, Jasper, 7-5, 6-1
No. 2: Ian Kim, LAMP def. Josue Tomas, Russellville, 7-5, 6-2
No. 3: Jason Mun, Houston Academy def. Victor Baetsle, Jasper, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7
No. 4: Wills McRae, Houston Academy def. Cooper Ford, Jasper, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7
No. 5: Thomas Buntin, Houston Academy def. Bralynn Vincent, Russellville, 6-1, 6-1
No. 6: Wonjun Lee, LAMP vs. Landon King, Houston Academy, 6-3, 6-3
TUESDAY’S DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS
No. 1: Mitchell Piedra/Brody Williams, Houston Academy def. Anderson Lambert/Isaac Butler, Boaz, 6-4, 6-1
No. 2; Cooper Ford/Hayes Hopkins, Jasper def. Wills McRae/Thomas Buntin, Houston Academy, 6-0, 7-6
No. 3: Jason Mun/Langley King, Houston Academy def. Victor Baestle/Heath Hartley, Jasper, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7
GIRLS’ TEAM SCORING
1) UMS-Wright 75; 2) Russellville 45; 3) Jasper 40; 4) LAMP 35; 5) Douglas 32; 6) Randolph 27; 7) Leeds 16; 8) Brooks 15; 9) Donoho 12; 10) John Carroll Catholic 11; 11) Gulf Shores 10; 12) Demopolis 9; 13) T.R. Miller 8; 13) St. John Paul II Catholic 8; 15) Sylacauga 6; 16) Houston Academy 4; 17) Bayside Academy 2
CLASS 7A GIRLS’ SINGLES
Tuesday’s Championship Results
No. 1: Tereza Mojs, Gulf Shores def. Peyton Parrish, Russellville, 6-0, 6-1
No. 2: Carol Murray, UMS-Wright def. Blair Kitchen, Donoho, 6-1, 6-2
No. 3: Kate Huddle, UMS-Wright def. Grace Liu, LAMP, 6-1, 6-0
No. 4: Dabreen Choi, LAMP def. Kinsley Palmer, Russellville, 6-4, 6-1
No. 5: Ann Dyas Thompson, UMS-Wright def. Jesa Leight Bonds, Douglas, 6-3, 7-5
No. 6: Victoria Rizk, UMS-Wright def. Sara Kare Kiel, Russellville, 6-1, 6-0
TUESDAY’S DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS
No. 1: Sarah Ladd/Carol Murray, UMS-Wright def. Ady Preston/Lila Oliver, Jasper, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2: Rhea Mostellar/Kate Huddle, UMS-Wright def. Scout Barber/Maitland Baxter, Jasper, 7-5, 6-1
No. 3: Dabeen Choi/Hannah Baik, LAMP def. Kinsley Palmer/Lily Cate Pace, Russellville, 6-2, 6-4
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