St. Andrew’s-Sewanee tennis standouts Sadie and Avery Shackelford are taking their singles and doubles sister act to the Spring Fling.
The Shackelford duo and the Lady Mountain Lions will have their first shot at TSSAA state championships today in the newly created Division II Class A.
Team semifinals start today in Murfreesboro. SAS plays St. George’s at Middle Tennessee State University. The Lady Mountain Lions (9-2) are the first SAS team in any team sport to make a state semifinal appearance.
Also in Division II at MTSU, two-time defending state champ GPS will go head-to-head with Chattanooga rival Baylor for the third time this season and McCallie, also a winner of team titles the last two years, will face Montgomery Bell Academy.
In Class A/AA competition at MTSU, the Chattanooga Christian boys’ team will face two-year reigning state champ University School of Jackson and the Lady Chargers will take on Ezell-Harding in beginning their defense of three consecutive state championships. The McMinn County boys’ team will make its Class AAA debut against White Station at Old Fort Park.
The Lady Mountain Lions finished second in the new East/Middle Region and experienced their only two losses of the year to the University School of Nashville, the region winner. SAS also recorded wins against Class AA schools Ensworth and St. Cecilia.
“It’s difficult going up against a school with a lot more students to draw athletes from,” said first-year SAS tennis coach Kelley Black. “It’s given our athletes a sense of confidence that we are competitive against schools our size.”
Sadie Shackelford won the first girls’ Division II-AA East/Middle region singles championship, remaining undefeated this season through 13 matches, while sister Avery finished third in the region. They’ll also compete in the state individual tournament, beginning Thursday at MTSU.
“We’re really excited and nervous, but mostly excited to go,” Avery said. “We’re proud to be there and represent our school.”
Sadie, an eighth-grader, and Avery, a sophomore team captain, are daughters of University of the South tennis coaches Conchie and John Shackelford. Other standouts in the SAS top six include No. 3 player Friederike Greiwe and No. 5 Marie Bowi, both Assist program exchange students from Germany.
The Shackelford sisters have differerent approaches on the court. Sadie is an aggressive power hitter, while Avery is consistent and patient. Playing at No. 1 doubles in team matches, they are 11-0.
“I love playing doubles with her,” Avery said. “We work well together and nobody knows me better than Sadie. We balance each other out and have a lot of fun.”
