Three down and McCallie’s tennis team has two more region opponents to go this season.
The reigning TSSAA Division II state champions swept cross town rival Baylor 9-0 Wednesday in a Division II Middle/East Region on the Red Raiders’ home court.
The Blue Tornado remains undefeated through nine dual matches and is 3-0 in Division II’s expanded region. Baylor is 4-5 overall this season.
McCallie beat Baylor 9-0 earlier this month in a nonregion match. The Blue Tornado’s top six singles players and top three doubles teams recorded wins over Baylor for the sweep, the first time since the 1940s, McCallie coach Eric Voges said.
“I thought our boys played well, and I’m very pleased how they played from top to bottom today,” Voges said. “All the kids played fair, and this is a great group, so it made it that much more enjoyable.”
Due to the TSSAA’s decision to split the division into two classifications, the former Middle and East regions have been combined in Division II Class AA, in which Baylor, McCallie and GPS teams play.
McCallie plays a region match at Ensworth today and its region finale at Knoxville Webb on May 6. Baylor completes its region schedule next week in matches at Montgomery Bell Academy, Knoxville Webb and Ensworth.
The winner of the Middle/East Region and seeding for the sub-state state quarterfinal round will be determined in a coaches meeting at the Middle/East Region individual tournament May 10 at Champions Club. The top five teams from the region advance to a sub-state match, while the top five individual finishers from the tournament advance to the state tournament.
“We’re gearing up, because we know our hardest matches will come at state,” McCaliie senior J.P. McLemore said. “As the season gets closer to the end, we know our toughest matches are still to come.”
