Denton’s return a boost for Owls

Ooltewah’s Caroline Denton hasn’t picked up a tennis racket since last summer.

The two-time state tournament qualifier needed time to think and recover after not making it to Murfreesboro last year.

But Denton is back on the court and helped the Lady Owls to a 8-1 victory over Soddy-Daisy on Wednesday afternoon at Middle Valley Recreation Center.

Ooltewah swept the Lady Trojan’s top six singles players. Denton defeated the Lady Trojans’ Andrea Johnson, 8-1, at No. 1 and teammate Hollie Whitener beat Amie Usry at No. 2, 8-6. At No. 3, the Lady Owls’ Kelly Miller recorded a 8-6 win over Jessica Powell.

“The boys’ and girls teams are the strongest I’ve had in a couple of years,” Owls coach Ken Buchanan said. “I’m trying to get them to play in matches as strong as they do in practice. We’re working on getting more aggressive. They did really well today.”

Denton reached the TSSAA Class AA state individual tournament quarterfinals and the semifinals in her freshman and sophomore seasons. After going undefeated in 2007, Soddy-Daisy senior Courtney Hitchcock upset Denton’s bids for repeat district and region titles.

So she decided to take a break, playing in only one summer tournament. As a drum major for Ooltewah’s marching band, Denton spent the fall preparing to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Although she could play at the Division III level next year, Denton decided to enroll at the University of Tennessee and play intramural tennis.

“After last season, I wanted to clear my head and have a good senior season,” Denton said. “Losing to Courtney, it was kind of a shocker, and I needed to mentally recover. I was a little nervous being back on the court, but I settled down and took a few breaths.”

The Lady Trojans are without Hitchcock this year, but welcome a batch of freshmen to the young team, including three into the team’s singles top six.

“This group has been a joy to be around,” Soddy-Daisy coach Greg Howard said. “They’re young and a lot of fun. We’re not going to be as competitive because of all the kids we lost, but the future looks bright for us, and we’re getting better.”