BURLINGTON — A dominant state championship performance capped off a undefeated season for Mount Airy’s girls tennis team.
Mount Airy defeated Voyager Academy 5-0 on Sept. 4 to capture the program’s third-consecutive 1A Dual Team State Championship and the school’s sixth overall – all of which were won in the past 13 years.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet, and I have no idea when it will,” Mount Airy coach Luke Graham said of the team’s three-peat. “I would have never dreamed of this when getting into it. You go into coaching and work toward creating an opportunity for a championship run at some point, but you have to get a group of players that come together and push each other to get better.
“I’ve been extremely fortunate with the last couple of classes to have players who came in with some skill, worked out every chance we got and would push each other to be better. Even then nothing is guaranteed but an opportunity, so credit to the players for stepping up in moments when they had to.”
Carrie Marion was named Most Valuable Player of the Championship Match, and Audrey Brown was the recipient of the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award.
Mount Airy is the third team in NCHSAA history to have multiple runs winning three or more consecutive state titles, joining Charlotte Catholic and Salisbury.
Saturday’s title victory puts Mount Airy in a tie for the fifth-most NCHSAA Dual Team State Championships in state history.
“I told them after that they were one of four teams in the state of North Carolina that get to finish the season with a win,” Graham said. “This is incredibly special. I hope the experience and the outcome means as much to them as it does for me personally. This is something they can share with each other the rest of their lives.”
Mount Airy defeated Voyager Academy 5-0 on Sept. 4 to capture the program’s third-consecutive 1A Dual Team State Championship and the school’s sixth overall – all of which were won in the past 13 years.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet, and I have no idea when it will,” Mount Airy coach Luke Graham said of the team’s three-peat. “I would have never dreamed of this when getting into it. You go into coaching and work toward creating an opportunity for a championship run at some point, but you have to get a group of players that come together and push each other to get better.
“I’ve been extremely fortunate with the last couple of classes to have players who came in with some skill, worked out every chance we got and would push each other to be better. Even then nothing is guaranteed but an opportunity, so credit to the players for stepping up in moments when they had to.”
Carrie Marion was named Most Valuable Player of the Championship Match, and Audrey Brown was the recipient of the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award.
Mount Airy is the third team in NCHSAA history to have multiple runs winning three or more consecutive state titles, joining Charlotte Catholic and Salisbury.
Saturday’s title victory puts Mount Airy in a tie for the fifth-most NCHSAA Dual Team State Championships in state history.
“I told them after that they were one of four teams in the state of North Carolina that get to finish the season with a win,” Graham said. “This is incredibly special. I hope the experience and the outcome means as much to them as it does for me personally. This is something they can share with each other the rest of their lives.”
