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Girls' tennis: Saturday's roundup, James Buchanan's Rachel Martin falls in first round of district play


HERSHEY >> It wasn't an easy day for James Buchanan's Rachel Martin on Saturday at the District 3 Class AA Girls Tennis Singles Championships.

Martin was just the second district qualifier in Rocket history, and although she suffered a 6-1, 6-4 loss, JB coach Terri Beegle was not disappointed.

"I think in the first set, she wasn't really in awe of the whole thing, but she didn't get settled in," Beegle said. "You only get 10 minutes to warm up, and it's different playing indoors when you never have before. But I'm proud of her. She did well, and she represented us well. There were some coaches down there saying that they had been watching and following her, which is good to hear."

After going up 1-0 in the first set, Martin suffered six straight losses to Lancaster Country Day's Grace Zechman. But Martin picked up the pace and put Zechman to the rest, falling just 6-4 in the second set.

"She did much better in the second set," Beegle said. "She played within her abilities and was really getting to stuff. The other girl started to make a few mistakes, and Rachel was just keeping it in play."

MERCERSBURG ACADEMY 5, HILL 2 >> Mercersburg Academy earned Mid Atlantic Prep League win over The Hill School Saturday, locking in the first girls tennis win over Hill since 2001.

Mercersburg (8-2, 3-1 MAPL) won three singles matches and two doubles. Emma Hicks was challenged in third singles by Alex Kats, but won in a 10-4 tiebreak.

Allyson Chae and Eliza Smith both lost their singles matches, but earned both the Blue Storm wins in doubles, paired with Gabbie Albert and Emma Hicks, respectively.

Mercersburg 5, Hill 2 at Pottstown

Singles

1.Kelsey Shields (M) d Carrisa Kathuria, 6-4, 6-2

2.Molly Widdoes (M) d Ally Maner, 6-2, 6-4

3.Emma Hicks (M) d Alex Kats, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 10-4

4.Alexandria Zhukova (M) d Madeline McKean, 6-1, 6-1

5.Anna Nehrbas (H) d Allyson Chae, 7-5, 6-2

6. Marianna Xiong (H) d Eliza Smith, 1-6, 6-3 (6-10)

Doubles

1.Kathuria/Maner (H) d Shields/Widdoes, 8-5

2.Hicks/Smith (M) d Nehrbas/McKean, 8-4

3.Chae/Gabbie Albert (M) d Xiong/Isabelle Nazah, 8-3