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by TennisRecruiting.net, 3 April 2016

The 2016 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships presented by Icy Hot had a very different feel this spring with boys and girls competing on the same weekend for the first time in tournament history.

The monumental weekend of high school tennis featured more than 950 individual matches on Friday and Saturday. The 2016 edition of the tournament featured 60 teams from 14 states taking to the courts throughout the Scenic City of Chattanooga, Tenn. The common theme throughout the weekend, dominance from teams throughout the USTA Southern Section.

Boys A Division

The 2016 Boys A Division featured the most competitive field of matches in tournament history. More than 40% of team dual matches ended in a 5-4 score. The 2016 finalists cruised through the first three rounds of tournament action - outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 47-7.

The Vikings of Spartanburg (Spartanburg, S.C.) were making their first appearance in the tournament finals following victories over Heritage Hall (8-1), Trinity (9-0) and Lakeside (8-1). The Tigers of Saint Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) were making their third appearance in the tournament finals and looking for their first tournament title since 2010. Saint Xavier's path to the finals included victories over McCallie (7-2), Hinsdale Central (8-1) and host Baylor (7-2).

Spartanburg took the early lead in the tournament finals, claiming a pair of 7-6 victories at the top two doubles positions. The teams exchanged wins in the singles round with Saint Xavier tying the match at 4-4 following a victory by Matt Graft over Bryce Keim at No. 3 Singles. The match came down to Spartanburg 8th grader Ashe Ray and Saint Xavier senior Kamron Akrami. It was youth who prevailed for the Vikings - giving Spartanburg their first tournament championship with a 6-4, 6-2 victory that got Ray carried off the court on the shoulders of his teammates. Spartanburg junior Chambers Easterling, a Clemson commit, finished the weekend 4-0 in singles and 4-0 in doubles to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

In other notable matches host Baylor fell to Lakeside (Evans, Ga.) 5-4 in the 3rd Place Final. Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale, Ill.) claimed their fourth straight top 5 finish with a 5-4 win over Trinity (Louisville, Ky.). The Red Devils were the only non-Southern Section team to finish in the top 8 in the Boys A Division. Notable individual performances came from Saint Xavier sophomore Alex Wesbrooks (4-0), Etowah senior and Harvard commit Galen Lee (4-0) and Highland Park junior Jacob Edelchik (4-0).

Boys B and C Divisions

In the Boys B Division, it was Starr's Mill (Fayetteville, Ga.) who put together a trio of dominant victories to claim their first title in the event. The Panthers breezed past McCracken County (8-1) and Pensacola Catholic (9-0) en route to the championship match against Oklahoma's Edmond Memorial. With the singles matches taking the courts first, Starr's Mill wasted no time clinching their title with wins at No. 2-6 singles to take a 5-1 lead. Starr's Mill senior John Hunter claimed Most Valuable Player honors going 3-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles on the weekend.

In the Boys C Division, it was George Washington (Charleston, W.V.) who ruined the Southern sweep. The Patriots pulled off a pair of 8-1 victories over Siegel and Mount Saint Joseph before meeting Milton in the finals. George Washington jumped to an early 2-1 lead after doubles and used three quick singles wins by Thomas McIntosh, Nick Koenig and Anthony McIntosh to clinch the victory. Thomas McIntosh was 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Girls A Division

It was a familiar face that came out on top in the Girls A Division to set a tournament record. The host Baylor Red Raiders claimed a tournament record fourth tournament title - winning more than 91% of their matches in tournament play. Baylor used wins over Saint George's (8-1), Huntsville (9-0) and Hutchison (9-0) to advance to the finals. Their championship opponent Etowah (Etowah, Ga.) faced a difficult road to the finals, pulling out wins over Lakeside (9-0), Walton (5-4) and McCracken County (5-4). A pair of doubles victories for Baylor pushed them ahead 2-1 in their fifth tournament finals appearance.

A deep lineup helped the Red Raiders claim wins in No.2-6 singles to clinch the 7-2 victory. The bottom five singles positions in the Baylor lineup went 20-0 in tournament matches. Drew Hawkins earned Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament, going 3-1 in singles play and 4-0 in doubles play.

In other notable matches, McCracken County (Paducah, Ky.) defeated Hutchison (Memphis, Tenn.) 8-1 for 3rd Place. Defending Champion Walton (Marietta, Ga.) defeated Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.) 6-3 to claim 5th Place. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) finished in 7th place and was the highest placing non-Southern Section team. Notable individual performances came from Walton junior Liz Norman (4-0), Saint George's senior and Missouri commit Claire Sullivan (4-0), Spruce Creek's Mira Gladstone (3-1), McCracken County's Allison McKamey (3-1), Etowah's Mallory Gilmer (3-1) and Cherry Creek's Gloria Son (3-1).

Girls B and C Divisions

In the Girls B Division, it was very competitive as the Eagles of Milton (Milton, Ga.) claimed their first tournament title. The Eagles used victories over second seed Duncan (6-3) and Soddy Daisy (6-3) to advance to the championship. Their opponent, Morgantown (Morgantown, W.V.), claimed a pair of 6-3 victories over Central Magnet and Notre Dame Prep to advance. A highly contested championship match saw Morgantown jump out to a quick 3-0 lead after doubles, outscoring Milton 18-8. The Mohigans also claimed a quick win at No.1 singles by Lexie Rosiello. From there, the Eagles took complete control despite the 4-0 deficit. Four straight wins by Milton left junior Lindsay Dunsmore with the opportunity to complete the comeback in a third-set tie-break against Morgantown freshman Isabella Mascari. Dunsmore pulled out the 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 victory to clinch the win for Milton. Senior Morgan Liptak finished the weekend 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles to claim Most Valuable Player honors.

In the Girls C Division, it was local Notre Dame (Chattanooga, Tenn.) who battled to a pair of 5-4 victories over Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) and Tennessee (Bristol, Tenn.) to move into the final round of matches with a chance to earn a tournament title in their first appearance in the event. The Fighting Irish used an emphatic 9-0 win over Siegel (Murfreesboro, TN) to claim the tournament title. Notre Dame junior Sarah Faith Ingell used a 3-0 singles record and 3-0 doubles record to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

For complete tournament results - including match-by-match results, all-tournament team selections, and final standings - visit the tournament website at www.hstennischampionships.com.

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