EHS girls get job done against Unicoi County

By Rebecca Pierson
STAR Staff

   It was a showdown of the top District 1-AA teams on Wednesday in Elizabethton, as the Cyclones of EHS hosted Unicoi County.
   Both teams went into the match undefeated. The 'Betsy boys were defeated 7-2, while the girls came out a head 5-4 after a near six-hour competition.
   "I am proud of the guys," Cyclone head coach Danny O'Quinn said. "They played good. The Unicoi boys were just a little better than us tonight.
   "One of the most exciting matches I have ever been a part of came down to the final No. 3 [girls'] doubles. They were able to pull it out. We will just have to go tomorrow and do the same thing, and we will be in control of the conference for the girls."
   In boys' singles, Curtis Brumit defeated Patrick Ohlendorf 6-4, 7-6 (6). In Brumit and Ohlendorf's second set, both coaches had to go onto the court for the rest of the match due to disputes over boundaries between the pair.
   "Curtis Brumit is just an excellent player," Blue Devil head coach Ruth Jackson said. "He has a great forehand and speed. I noticed between this year and last year he is mentally tough. My players have a tendency to lose focus. I knew there was going to be an edge there. Curtis deserved to win. He played the best."
   Seth Wallingford lost to Unicoi's No. 2 Drew Parsons, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 3-6.
   "I didn't expect my son to split sets with a freshman but he [Wallingford] was playing much better than I had anticipated," Jackson said. "Drew hasn't been hitting a lot lately because he is in senior mode and has been gone a lot of weekends. He is a little inconsistent, but the experience came through on that one."
   Blue Devil Jan Koesters defeated Jordan Peters 6-2, 6-2, as did Brandon Triplett over Cyclone Jamis Gouge. No. 5 seed Tim Franklin defeated David Seagroves 6-4, 6-2. Sean Snyder was defeated by Nathan Gulcynski 7-5, 6-3,
   The boys' doubles lost all three of their matches. Brumit and Wallingford lost to Ohlendorf and Parsons, 2-8. Snyder and Gouge were defeated 8-4 by Koesters and Triplett. Peters and Tetrick lost to Seagroves and Gulcynski, 2-8.
   In the girls' singles, Amanda Pike defeated Unicoi's No. 1, Jessica Pauli, 6-3, 6-4.
   "I knew we were going to have trouble," Jackson said. "You can't beat Amanda Pike. She has got the experience. She has a good head. She knows what she is doing."
   Allison Parlier lost to Tracy Cartier 1-6, 7-6, (1), 6-9 after a near three-hour match-up. Ashley Street was defeated by Unicoi's No. 3, Paula Edwards, 6-4, 6-3. 'Betsy No. 4 Erin Rogers lost to Jessica Crews 5-7, 1-6.
   Kristina Elliott won her match against Melina DeOliveira, 6-3, 6-1. Lourean Hughes defeated Jessica Tipton 6-3, 6-4 for the sixth seed match.
   The doubles pair of Pike and Rikki Baughman defeated Blue Devils' Pauli and Cartier, 8-6. Street and Elliott lost their match for the No. 2 seed to Edwards and Crews. Third seed pair Rogers and Parlier defeated DeOliveira and Tipton in an 8-3 decision.
   Today the Cyclones will travel to Unicoi for a re-match.
   "I might change my doubles line-up after tonight," Jackson said. "I will certainly have to sit down and talk to the girls about it and see if they feel that we need to do something different.
   "Talking to Danny now, and getting some respect for him, he is a great guy and wants to do everything the right way. I am sure he won't have a problem with me changing my line-up. He allowed a girl to leave to go to church and come back and play doubles, and I appreciate that.
   "I am developing a good respect for him. He is a good guy and wants the best for his kids and will stand up for them. That is what being a good coach is all about. Both teams had great sportsmanship."