GPS, Baylor, McCallie have tennis finalists

May 22, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated May 22, 2015 at 3:49 a.m.

by Gene Henley

Baylor tennis player Jack Gray returns the ball during his boys' II-AA state team tennis tournament semifinal doubles match against MBA on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Baylor tennis player Jack Gray returns the ball during his boys' II-AA state team tennis tournament semifinal doubles match against MBA on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Winning their first match by default potentially led to a slow start by Girls Preparatory School's Maddox Bandy and Jenna Thorstensen in their Division II-AA state individual doubles match against Hutchison's Gracie Donoghue and Grace Ann Dunavant on Thursday.

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photo Soddy-Daisy's Olivia Crawley competes in her Class AAA quarterfinal doubles tennis match with teammate Chloe Mitchell against Siegel on Thursday, May 21, 2015, during the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

It did not, however, affect their finish.

The GPS duo lost their first set 1-6 but won in three sets to advance to the championship match today at the Old Fort courts.

"We had to change our mental attitude," Thorstensen said. "We figured out they weren't going to give us anything, so we had to figure out ourselves what we had to do to win."

They'll face Baylor's Lauren Carelli and Lilly Mooney, who defeated teammates Ashton Jenne and Presley Thomas in the semifinals. Scores of that match were 6-0, 6-3.

Other Baylor finalists are Jack Gray and Chad Woodham in boys' doubles and Drew Hawkins in girls' singles. McCallie's Cody Gubin is a boys' singles finalist. All boys' finals begin at 10 a.m. EDT; the girls' matches are set to start at noon.

Gray and Woodham beat Memphis University School's Andres Carros and Frederick Danielson in straight sets and will face another MUS team, Michael Apple and Spencer Richey. All four players will be playing collegiately next season: Gray at Sewanee, Woodham at Austin Peay, Apple at Middle Tennessee State and Richey at Alabama.

Hawkins, a sophomore, defeated Hutchison's Catherine Owen 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 to reach the girls' singles final.

"I was a little less confident in the second set, and she became more confident," said Hawkins, who was a doubles finalist last year with Maggie Crumbliss. "I didn't expect to go as far as I have this year. I have to stay focused tomorrow, and I can't be afraid to go for it."

McCallie's Gubin, the No. 3 seed from the East/Middle region, had a straight-sets win over region champion Miles Jackson of Ensworth in the semifinals. He'll face Montgomery Bell Academy's George Harwell, with whom he split during the regular season.

"I moved him around a lot," Gubin said of the win over Jackson. "I really tried to attack his second serve and not give away any easy points."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

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