Morgan, Caswell earn state doubles title

photo Baylor players Drew Hawkins, right, and Samantha Caswell hug as they greet one another with teammates McCall Morgan, left, and Maggie Crumbliss after Caswell and Morgan won their Spring Fling District II-AA doubles tennis championship match against their schoolmates.
photo Baylor tennis player McCall Morgan spikes the ball during her Spring Fling District II-AA doubles tennis championship match with teammate Samantha Caswell against fellow Baylor players Drew Hawkins and Maggie Crumbliss.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - McCall Morgan couldn't think of a better way to end her Baylor high school tennis career: teammate Samantha Caswell as her doubles partner, teammates Maggie Crumbliss and Drew Hawkins as their opponents. It seemed almost like a day of practice.

Only this time, it was a state championship match. And somebody had to win.

Morgan and Caswell were the victors -- 6-2, 6-1 -- Friday in the Division II-AA state doubles title match at the Old Fort courts. The win gave Caswell a total of seven titles in her five-year career -- four team, two singles and a doubles -- while Morgan finished her career with five.

Their reaction after they finished the match was one more of acceptance than excitement.

"Wednesday was a lot more emotional in general," Morgan said. "We care more about the team title than the individual. This could be a USTA tournament for us, but it's the last time we'll play together."

The teams played in the East/Middle region championship as well, with a much more light-hearted environment.

GPS's Michelle Fleenor fell in straight sets to St. Benedict's Grace Summers in the singles final.

"She's a really good player," Fleenor said. "She's so consistent and knows how to play the ball. She's really smart and it's difficult to break her down and win a lot of points, because she's a really good player.

"I'm going to look back at my time at GPS as a fun experience. I've made so many friends playing this sport, and I love being able to play a sport I'm not only good at, but I enjoy playing."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

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