Ashley Hall, Wando may be state's two best girls teams

Ashley Hall and Wando both lost heavily from last year's state championship teams, yet they are right back where they were in 2008. They may well be the state's two best teams in girls high school tennis, whether SCHSL or SCISA.

Mary Gastley, in her 23rd season as coach for centennial-celebrating Ashley Hall, isn't taking another SCISA Class AAA state title for granted after losing Jacey Edwards and Kate Cannon to graduation and outstanding No. 4 sophomore Isabel Dennis to a move to Atlanta.

"We feel good so far, and we want to be confident but we don't want to make any predictions," Gastley said.

The Panthers have two of the area's three returning All-Lowcountry players. Senior Jamie Harrell and junior Patricia Kirkland are sharing time at No. 1 as Lowcountry player of the year Harrell has been nursing a toe injury.

Senior Charlotte Morrow is also back to play No. 4, while freshman Narni Summerall is a newcomer from Charleston Day at No. 3, and sophomore Margaret Legerton and freshman Rossi Anastopoulo have moved into the starting lineup at Nos. 5 and 6.

Ashley Hall should repeat in Region III, with a deep Porter-Gaud team possibly contending. The big matches for the Panthers should be against SCHSL two-time defending Class AAA champion Hilton Head High and five-time defending Class AAAA state champion Wando in early October. Ashley Hall already holds a pair of wins over SCHSL two-time defending Class AA state champion Bishop England.

The Panthers lost to Wando in an early-season tournament when Harrell wasn't available to participate.

Unbeaten Wando, which owns a victory over Hilton Head, lost four of its five singles players from last year, but picked up junior Clair Larkin at No. 2 from perennial power Lexington and talented junior Alexis Prickett, called by 11th-year coach Becky Williamson "the best No. 3 player in the state."

Prickett starred for SCISA power Hammond School two years ago and sat out last season at Wando due to eligibility rules.

The Warriors' only returning singles starter is All-Lowcountry Corin Hallman, the No. 1 player who made a late decision to return for her senior season.

Wando lost three players to college tennis: All-Lowcountry players Olivia McMillan (Presbyterian) and Lindsay Larkin (Wofford), and Liz Cole (Sewanee).

Locals win beach title

Chris Henderson and Phil Whitesell are back on top of beach tennis in the United States after winning the Beach Tennis National Championship over Labor Day weekend in New York. The local team gained revenge from world champions Matteo Marighella and Alex Mingozzi of Italy by scoring an 8-6 win in the final.

Henderson and Whitesell split a purse of more than $5,000 for their latest title. They had won the U.S. title in 2005 and 2006 before falling to the Italians the last two years.

"This was our biggest win. We took out the guys that had never lost on U.S. soil," Henderson said about the five-time world champion Italians. "These guys were 26 years old and they do this full-time in Italy. They didn't think we could beat them, but Phil and I both played great."

Things might swing back to the Italians next year when the nationals are expected to be played with wooden paddles instead of the tennis rackets that were used this year on the sand of Long Beach, N.Y.

Traveling man

Henderson is having a super busy schedule these days. In addition to his beach tennis heroics and holding down a job as a medical equipment salesman, the 37-year-old former Furman star is co-founder of the popular Charleston Pro Tennis League.

Not only does Henderson captain the Hunter Specialties Inc. team in the CPTL, he also captains a nine-member men's open team that will leave Thursday for Las Vegas to begin competition on Friday in the league tennis nationals.

If that isn't enough, Henderson missed last week's CPTL matches at Charleston Tennis Center because he was in Bermuda competing in an international beach tennis tournament. Henderson and a player from Bermuda lost in the quarterfinals to the world champion Italians. That competition was played with wooden paddles.

CPTL reset for today

The CPTL is batting .500 in regularly scheduled events after rain forced the postponement of Friday night's program until today at 4 p.m. at Creekside Tennis and Swim.

This is the fourth week of the 10-week regular season, which started with a postponement.

Timo Siebert-captained Seewee Outpost posted a 5-0 win over Henderson's H.S.I. outfit in Week 3 to take a big lead over H.S.I. in the five-team race. CPTL teams will travel to the Country Club of Charleston for next Friday night's matches. Keep up with the CPTL at www.cptltennis.com.

Local notes of interest

--Former Wando standout Hagan Edgerton has been named the recipient of a $2,000 scholarship from the S.C. Tennis Patrons Foundation. Edgerton, who played on five straight girls' state championship teams, is a freshman at Clemson.

--Bishop England's girls tennis team lost Downing Herlocker, last year's No. 2 player as a sophomore, to cross country.

--While the Lowcountry Tennis Association's fall leagues are getting started within the next two weeks, the relatively new Flex League is still forming. The Flex League registration deadline is Thursday. Contact Vickie Nash (761-6097 or nashvm@yahoo.com).

--The LCTA didn't fare well in last weekend's state mixed doubles tournament at Charleston Tennis Center as the local league failed to produce a state champion.

Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.