MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Ashton Jenne hopes to have a state championship ring for every finger on one hand as a member of the Baylor girls' tennis team.
The sophomore has two fingers to go.
The Lady Red Raiders claimed their fifth consecutive Division II-AA state championship Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Hutchison at Old Fort Park.
Jenne won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles and paired with Presley Thomas for an 8-2 victory at No. 2 doubles.
The Lady Red Raiders (13-5) were not thought of as a contender entering the season after losing their top four players from last year, including two to NCAA Division I programs and a third to a Division III school. A junior, two sophomores, three freshmen and an eighth-grader make up this year's team.
"There are some similarities between this team and the 2011 team that won it," Baylor coach Dustin Kane said. "As the season progressed, the girls just got better and better and gained confidence. We jelled as the season went on and performed up to our potential, and at the end we really thought we could win."
Drew Hawkins won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles and teamed with junior Hannah Kleban for an 8-3 victory at No. 1 doubles. Thomas won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3 singles.
"It feels so good to win because we're real young and we weren't supposed to," Jenne said. "We worked our butts off, and today shows how hard we've worked since school started.
"We had great teamwork to get here, and we bonded."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.