The Greenwood Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will be well represented next Monday and Tuesday at the 5A state tennis tournament in Hot Springs. Both teams managed to win their respective conference championships two weeks ago and hope to make some noise against statewide competition.
Play starts at 10 a.m. on Monday, with the girls at Lakeside High School and the boys at Hot Springs Country Club. On Tuesday all matches will be played at Lakeside.
GHS Head Coach Ken Hamilton has five netters who qualified for the state tournament, two girls and three boys. Included are three seniors and two juniors.
“We’re optimistic after a strong showing in which the boys and girls both won 5A West conference titles,” said Hamilton, in his 25th season as a volunteer coach. But early on a conference title seemed impossible for the GHS girls.
“Four of our six girls were eliminated the first day,” he explained, referring to the league tournament played at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. “[But] the girls won because Olivia (Gaston) and Abigail (Woodring) played each other in the finals, which gave the team enough points to win conference.” Both seniors hope to do something similar at state.
“[They] will be making runs at the state singles title,” said their coach. “If they can both get to the semifinals, they may have a shot at the title if the points are distributed evenly enough to help Greenwood outpoint the other teams.”
Gaston remains unbeaten this season and Woodring has just the one loss to her teammate.
“They are both playing their best tennis of the season, and both are physically ready to go. Olivia knows this is her last chance for a state singles title and is highly motivated. Abigail is also a senior and knows this will be her last chance to win matches in the state tournament, so she is also motivated to succeed,” said Hamilton.
As for the Bulldogs, senior Eli Bulter and juniors Zachary Beshears and Jonathan Mitchell will be representing Greenwood. Butler and Mitchell will play doubles while Butler will be the ‘Dogs only singles player.
“Zachary is playing his best [tennis] after a mid-season let down. He is healthy and wants to win as much any player I have ever coached. [He] is going to give it his best effort. We can count on that every time he takes the court,” said the longtime GHS coach.
“The boys doubles team of Eli Butler and Jonathan Mitchell should be seeded in the top two or three in the tournament bracket, and we will be surprised if they are not playing in the finals on Tuesday,” said Hamilton.
“They have really come together as a team and complement each other’s strong points on the court. Both have strong serves, and when they are serving well they make their partner look like an All-American, allowing [him] to pick off easy points at the net. If they are serving well, they will do well.”
Hamilton began this season with several question marks and some holes to fill in his varsity lineup, but has managed to bring out the best in his young players. They won a pair of conference championships, and now they hope to carry over that success into the state tournament.
“One thing about these five players is they leave it all on the court,” he said. “This is the last tournament of the year and they will have lots of time to rest after it’s over. They [must] give their best efforts, and we are confident they will, whether in victory or defeat. Of course, we’re hoping for victories,” said Hamilton.