Rivals to meet in finals

Ashley Hall vs. Porter-Gaud III is on.

As expected, neither team had any problems in the SCISA Class AAA girls tennis state semifinals Friday afternoon at Sumter's Palmetto Tennis Center. Neither Ashley Hall nor Porter-Gaud dropped a match.

Ashley Hall extended its court time a little by playing doubles in a 9-0 romp past Sumter's Wilson Hall, after Porter-Gaud finished off a 6-0 sweep of Heathwood Hall. That set up a 9:30 a.m. meeting today in Sumter between the two Charleston powerhouses.

If this one is anything like the first two, it'll be a classic. Coach Mary Gastley's defending state champions from Ashley Hall scored a pair of 5-4 decisions over the Cyclones in an unbeaten dual match season. Otherwise, the Cyclones would have had a perfect record going into the final.

Ashley Hall yielded a total of only 12 games in the entire match, the first three players in the singles lineup -- senior Jamie Harrell, junior Patricia Kirkland and freshman Narni Summerall -- winning every singles and doubles game they played.

"Yesterday doesn't matter or two weeks ago. It comes down to tomorrow," Gastley said.

Veteran Porter-Gaud coach Tom Higgins feels good about the third meeting.

"I don't want to make any predictions, but we're capable of winning," he said.

The Cyclones owned a 7-5 edge in singles in the two regular season meetings with the Panthers.

It's a virtual certainty that doubles will come into play in the third meeting.

But the Cyclones didn't get to practice doubles Friday after running their singles record against Heathwood Hall this season to 18-0.

Porter-Gaud yielded only 11 games in singles. The most games won by Heathwood Hall in any singles match was three. And this was a Heathwood team that finished with a 14-3 record, but all three losses coming to the Cyclones.

PORTER-GAUD 6, HEATHWOOD HALL 0

SINGLES: Jeanette Fischer def. Lauren Armstrong, 6-0, 6-1; Mi'Kola Cooper def. Karson Koker, 6-2, 6-1; Carissa Steichen def. Katherine Lough, 6-1, 6-0; Annie Hay def. Elise McKelvey, 6-0, 6-1; Christina Connelly def. Danielle Zurcher, 6-2, 6-1; Carlyle Williams def. Katie Beach, 6-2, 6-0.

ASHLEY HALL 9, WILSON HALL 0

SINGLES: Jamie Harrell def. Natalie Strewalt, 6-0, 6-0; Patricia Kirkland def. Paige Layton, 6-0, 6-0; Narni Summerall def. Emma Wynn Betchman, 6-0, 6-0; Charlotte Morrow def. Auston James, 6-2,6-3; Margaret Legerton def. Caroline Downing, 6-2, 6-0; Rossi Anastopoulo def. Megan Smith, 6-2, 6-0.

DOUBLES: Kirkland/Summerall def. Strewalt/Betchman, 8-0; Harrell/Morrow def. Layton/Downing, 8-0; Legerton/Anastopoulo def. James/Smith, 8-3.

Colleton Prep

Colleton Prep is hoping for better luck in today's SCISA Class AA girls state final against Lake City's Carolina Academy than a year ago after scoring a marathon 6-3 win over Pee Dee Academy.

Colleton Prep (13-4) and defending champion Carolina Academy will square off at 10:30 a.m. at the Palmetto Tennis Center. Carolina advanced with a forfeit over Florence's The King's, which reportedly had several players sidelined by sickness.

SINGLES: Sarah McDonald (CP) def. Caroline Shelly, 6-1, 6-1; Faith Baxley (PD) def. Brittan Carter, 6-3, 6-4; C.C. Causey (PD) def. Tabor Copeland, 6-2, 6-3; Caitlin Crosby (CP) def. Amber Mincey, 6-2, 6-1; Anna Scruggs (PD) def. Brittany Griffin, 6-4, 6-0; Taylor Hoff (CP) def. Kelsey Coleman, 2-6, 7-5, 10-8.

DOUBLES: McDonald/Griffin (CP) def. Shelley/Baxley, 4-6, 6-2, 10-8; Carter/Crosby (CP) def. Causey/Coleman, 7-5, 4-2, ret.; Copeland/Megan Mitchell (CP) def. Mincey/Megan Hooks, 6-2, 6-2.

Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com