By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A tight, hard-fought loss at No. 1 singles was the only blemish to the Watauga women’s tennis team’s match vs. Hibriten on Sept. 27. Pioneer freshman Addison Cohen pushed her No. 1 counterpart, Panthers senior Natalie Jones, to overtime in both sets losing 6-7 (3-7), 5-7.
The team win pushes the Pioneers’ dual meet record to 12-0 overall, 8-0 in Northwestern Conference on the 2023 season, their first campaign under the mentorship of new head coach Phoebe Boeschen.
At No. 2 singles, Watauga sophomore Larson Berry swept by Hibriten senior Paige Grimbeek, 6-3, 6-2, with far less trouble than when the two met on Sept. 11 in Lenoir when Berry won, 2-0, but had to survive a first set score of 7-6 (7-2) before coasting to 6-2 in the second set. Berry is 10-0 so far this season in representing Watauga at No. 2 singles.
At No. 3 singles, another Pioneer sophomore, Kennedy Moore, polished off Hibriten’s Ella Taylor, 6-2, 6-2. For the season, Moore is 10-0 at the No. 2 singles position, 11-1 at No. 2 doubles.
Yet another sophomore on Watauga’s young squad of netters, Fiona Russell dispatched Hibriten senior Maddy Reid, 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 4 singles pairing. Russell is 10-0 at No. 4 singles in 2023, 9-1 in playing for the Pioneers at No. 2 doubles.
One of the few seniors representing Watauga in 2023, Abbi Shuman continued to hit her stride in defeating Hibriten’s Tehya Bley, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 5 singles. Like a lot of her teammates, Shuman is 10-0 at No. 5 singles this season, 12-0 at No. 3 doubles.
A junior, Watauga’s Hatherly Armfield had only a little trouble in disposing of Hibriten sophomore Ally Walker, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 6 singles. Armfield is now 8-2 on the season at No. 6 singles, 10-0 at No. 3 doubles.
The Pioneers also had an unblemished record in the three doubles matches.
- Cohen and Berry teamed up to beat Jones and Taylor at No. 1 doubles, 8-3.
- Moore and Russell combined to take an 8-4 victory over Grimbeek and Reid.
- And the Shuman-Armfield duo got by Bley and Hibriten senior Emma Brown, 8-3.
