Lady Canes reach state's Final Four
The Cartersville High School girls’ tennis team earned a spot in the GHSA Class AAAA state semifinals Thursday afternoon with a 3-0 victory over Eastside at Dellinger Park. The win marks the first appearance in the Final Four for the Cartersville girls since their state championship run in 2005. The Lady Canes collected victories at a pair of singles lines and Line 2 doubles to secure the win.
The Cartersville girls were also leading in the two matches that were ultimately pulled and not completed. Emily Bush and Chloe Satterfield won at Line 2 and Line 3 singles, respectively. Bush won 6-0, 6-3 over Danie Lamadieu. Satterfield won 6-1, 6-0 over Sarah-June Moss.
Cartersville’s Mason Cline and Mia Shaw picked up the Lady Canes’ third point with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Eastside’s Kinsley Dozier and Reilly Anderson at Line 2 doubles.
Ashley Popham, playing Line 1 singles and the Lady Canes’ Line 1 doubles tandem of Lydia Wiedetz and Alice Terry were leading at the conclusion of the team win. Popham led the Eagles’ Abbey-Grace Venham 5-4 in the second set after taking the first set 6-1.
Wiedetz and Terry won their opening set 6-0 and were knotted 5-5 in the second set when the team victory was secured.
“It was a great team win today for the girls and the program,” said an excited Cartersville head coach Brett Tolbert following the win. “Since all the teams remaining on our side of the bracket are No. 1 seeds, we will host the State Semifinals. The universal coin toss was tails and that gives us home court against the North Oconee/West Laurens winner.”
PHOTOS: Ashley Popham and Emily Bush in earlier matches this season. Photos by Randy Parker, The Daily Tribune News
The GHSA state tournament schedule calls for the semifinal round to be completed by next Tuesday, April 30. Cartersville will host North Oconee Monday at 4 p.m. on Courts 1-5 at Dellinger Park.
