Ada girls complete Class 4A tennis 3-peat

OKLAHOMA CITY — The celebration started early Saturday for the Ada High School girls tennis team.

The Lady Cougars clinched the Class 4A State championship by advancing to championship matches in three divisions Saturday morning at the Oklahoma City Tennis Center.

By midday, it was all over but the crying — by the other state contenders.

Ada finished with 29 team points to capture its third consecutive Class 4A state title. Riverfield Country Day School took runner-up with 25 points, followed by Crossings Christian with 19, Lincoln Christian with 16 and The Academy of Classical Christian Studies with 10.

Notably, the teams that finished second through fifth were all private schools.

Ada coach Terry Swopes said his players saved some of their best tennis of the season for the final weekend.

“I was incredibly proud of the girls this weekend. They all handled the pressure and saved their best for last,” Swopes told The Ada News. “Winning a state championship is rare and incredibly hard to do. These girls just completed a 3-peat.”

The Lady Cougars put themselves in a prime position to make a run at the championship after winning every match they played on Day 1.

“The coaches thought going in that if we could get everyone to the semifinals — even though we weren’t seeded to have everyone there — we could put pressure on the other teams we were competing with,” Swopes said. “We were able to do just that. We went 8-0 on Friday, and no other schools had more than two teams in the semifinals.”

From there, Swopes knew if the Lady Cougars could win three out of four semifinal matches, they could clinch the 3-peat after just three rounds of tennis.

That’s exactly what happened.

Senior Kylie Witt advanced to the finals in No. 2 Singles, while both Ada doubles teams won their semifinal matchups to officially secure the championship.

“This team has been an absolute joy to coach. They are all incredible tennis players; however, they are even better people,” Swopes said. “They represented Ada Schools with grace and class all season.”

Swopes also praised assistant coaches Jackson Goodman and Drew Lillard for their contributions throughout the spring.

“I would like to thank my assistant coaches for their help this season. They did a tremendous job, and we would not have been as successful as we were without them,” he said.

His appreciation didn’t stop there.

“A special thank you to Bill Nelson (Swopes’ father-in-law and longtime local tennis supporter), who was our fourth coach at the state tournament this year. His knowledge and insight were invaluable,” he said.

Swopes also thanked the Ada community for its support.

“And thanks to Ada Schools and the City of Ada for their amazing support of Ada Tennis,” he said. “And to all of our fans who came to support us. We had so many former coaches — like Skip Griese and Joe Neil Griese — (and) former players and parents there cheering us on. Carolyn Nimmo, who had done so much for Ada High Tennis over the years, has also been coming out all season. It was great to see her out there again.”

No. 2 Singles

Witt defeated Connie Dong of Henryetta 6-0, 6-2 in the all-important semifinal match before falling in the finals to Zoe Jackson of Riverfield.

Witt opened the tournament with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Molly Gibson of Oklahoma Christian Academy and blanked Shiloh Williams of Chisholm 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

She finished the season with a 23-8 overall record.

No. 1 Doubles

Senior Taylor Cook and freshman Ava Moon captured the Class 4A state championship in No. 1 Doubles with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-2 victory over Lillian Brisco and Mia Mattson of Lincoln Christian in the finals.

Cook and Moon defeated a team from The Academy 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.

They opened the tournament with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maddie Rock and Brooke Bailey of Henryetta and surged past a team from Metro Christian 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Cook and Moon finished the season with an impressive 22-3 record. It marked the second straight state title for Cook, who won the No. 2 Doubles championship a year ago.

No. 2 Doubles

The junior duo of Channing Ballard and Baylee Boatwright dropped a tough three-set match to Campbell Cryer and Kate Lovelace of Crossings Christian in a thrilling No. 2 Doubles championship match.

Ballard and Boatwright rolled past Karlie Jones and Grace Wheeler of Lincoln Christian 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals.

They opened the tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Gracie Kuehner and Sahrara Renner of Seminole before defeating Anna Acree and Brynlee Liniger of Rejoice Christian 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Ballard and Boatwright lost only two matches all season and finished with a 19-2 record.

No. 1 Singles

Ada newcomer Brityn Waller captured third place in No. 1 Singles after Audrey Crooks of Oklahoma Christian School defaulted because of an injury.

Lily Clark of runner-up Riverfield defeated Waller 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Waller opened the state tournament by shutting out Jordyn Tracy of Skiatook 6-0, 6-0. The Ada senior then outlasted Chloe Childs of The Academy 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Waller finished the season with a 6-4 record.

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The Results

GIRLS

Class 4A State Tournament

At OKC Tennis Center

Team Standings

1. ADA 29

2. Riverfield 25

3. Crossings Christian 19

4. Lincoln Christian 16

5. The Academy 10

6. Henryetta 8

7. Metro Christian 7

tie BYNG 7

9. Rejoice Christian 6

10. Pauls Valley 5

tie OCS 5

12. Elk City 4

13. Harding Prep 2

tie Community Christian 2

tie Chisholm 2

16. Tecumseh 1

Ada Individual Results

No. 1 Singles (Brityn Waller)

1st Round: def. Jordyn Tracy (Skiatook) 6-0, 6-0

Quarterfinals: def. Chloe Childs (The Academy) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2

Semifinals: lost to Lily Clark (Riverfield) 6-1, 6-1

3rd Place Match: def. Audrey Crooks (OCS) injury default

2 Singles (Kylee Witt)

1st Round: def. Molly Gibson (OCA) 6-0, 6-1

Quarterfinals: def. Shiloh Williams (Chisholm) 6-0, 6-0

Semifinals: def. Connie Dong (Henryetta) 6-0, 6-2

Championship: lost to Zoe Jackson (Riverfield) 6-0, 6-0

No. 1 Doubles (Taylor Cook/Ava Moon)

1st Round: def. Brooke Bailey/Maddie Rock (Henryetta) 6-1, 6-2

Quarterfinals: def. Coulter/Scarlett Stratton (Metro Christian) 6-1, 6-3

Semifinals: def. Bottomly/Damron (The Academy) 6-2, 6-2

Championship: def. Lillian Brisco/Mia Mattson (Lincoln Christian) 7-5, 6-2

No. 2 Doubles (Channing Ballard/Baylee Boatwright)

1st Round: Gracie Kuehner/Sahara Renner (Seminole) 6-1, 6-1

Quarterfinals: def. Anna Acree/Brynlee Liniger (Rejoice Christian) 6-2, 6-4

Semifinals: def. Karlie Jones/Grace Wheeler (Lincoln Christian) 6-1, 6-0

Championship: lost to Campbell Cryer/Kate Lovelace (Crossings Christian) 6-4, 6-7, 6-2