By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City went down swinging in the Class A girls’ state tennis championships.
And boy did the Lady Tornadoes put up a fight.
Ultimately, though, Summertown outlasted UC for the third straight year in the title round, posting a 4-2 win to force the Twister girls to again settle for runner-up honors Wednesday in Murfreesboro.
It marked the fifth time in program history that Union City had been denied the title.
The latest hurt a little bit more.
The two teams essentially traded blows for the entirety of the epic three-hour match before the Lady Eagles made one more shot on the No. 1 doubles court to win 8-6.
“It hurts,” UC head coach Tom Sisco said afterward. “There was very little difference between the two teams skill level-wise and from player to player.
“They just made a few more shots than we did there at the end. They didn’t play under a lot of duress, and you could see how seasoned they were in the big points. I feel like we probably gave them their toughest match of the last two seasons, and our girls put up a great fight.
“I know they’re disappointed, though, because of how much they put into getting back here and finally getting over the hump.”
Number-four seed Davey Frankum and top-seed Shelby Bondurant recorded grueling three-set singles victories for the Purple and Gold. Three of the five singles matches went to three sets, and both doubles matches had 7-6 scores before Summertown finally emerged from the all-out battle after taking a 3-2 lead into the doubles round.
Frankum topped Amelia Emerson 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, and Shelby Bondurant outlasted Libby Konig 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
“All year long, we said if we could get to doubles, we felt good,” Sisco added. “And we still do. The tenacity of the twins in their doubles matches to battle back was awesome to see.
“It just came down to the wire. Somebody has to win, and somebody has to lose. We obviously wish the roles would’ve been reversed.”
The season is not over for the doubles team of Bondurant and Molly Kizer and for freshman Emma Mobbs. They’ll play in Thursday’s individual championships, beginning with quarterfinal matches at 9 a.m.
“We have to bounce back quickly and turn the page,” Sisco concluded. “This part is over with, and there are still some goals for us to achieve.”