Baylor girls, St. Xavier boys headline Rotary tennis winners

Baylor tennis player Brandon Kali returns the ball in his boys A-4 singles final match against St. Xavier's Spencer Blandford at the Rotary tennis tournament at Baylor School on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Baylor tennis player Brandon Kali returns the ball in his boys A-4 singles final match against St. Xavier's Spencer Blandford at the Rotary tennis tournament at Baylor School on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

As she presented the boys' B Division winners' medals to the University School of Jackson tennis team late Saturday morning, Chattanooga Rotary Club president Rowena Lee Belcher experienced an unexpected sensation while shaking their hands.

"Ooooh," she said with a laugh. "Cold fingers."

It was unseasonably cold during the 60th annual Rotary Tennis Tournament's singles finals Saturday morning at Baylor (boys' and girls' A divisions), Girls Preparatory School (B girls) and McCallie (B boys), temperatures barely clearing 40 degrees at first serve.

It also was windy and wearying, given that all singles finalists were battling through their third best-of-three matches in a little more than 24 hours.

But for those who won, it was also rewarding, especially for A Division winner Michelle McKamey of McCracken County (Ky.) High School, who became the first girl to win three straight Rotarys.

"It's humbling, definitely an honor," the junior said after her 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Sydney Flesch of Huntsville (Ala.). "Every year it's different. Different teams, different players. We got here this year on Wednesday (during Kentucky's spring break), played GPS that day, then Baylor on Thursday. Fortunately, I got my second wind."

Nor is McKamey merely an athlete. Asked her potential college choices, she replied, "Louisville or Harvard."

Then there was boys' A winner George Harwell of Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy, who knocked off Mountain Brook (Ala.) player Peter Hartman in the final. Like McKamey he's a junior. Unlike her, this was his first Rotary title.

"This is big, I've never won it before," said Harwell, a huge Vanderbilt fan who's torn between playing college tennis at the nonscholarship Division III level or going for broke with an SEC-level program. "I'm still not sure I want to play college tennis, but I think I'd love to walk on (at Vanderbilt)."

Yet good as those winners were, neither wound up sharing in a team title. For the fifth time in six years, the Baylor girls hoisted the A Division team plaque, outpointing Knoxville Webb 21 points to 12.5. GPS finished seventh.

For the third time in four years, St. Xavier of Louisville, Ky., carted the A boys' team winner's hardware north to the Bluegrass after nosing out Mountain Brook for second and Baylor for third, a half-point behind the Spartans. McCallie finished fifth.

In something of a Steve Harvey moment (remember Harvey announcing the wrong winner at the Miss Universe pageant?), a scoring error in the boys' A Division momentarily gave the runner-up trophy to Baylor before it was realized Mountain Brook had failed to be credited with a point during Friday's matches.

A far different, more predictable dynamic played out in the B divisions, however, as the individual winners led their respective schools to team titles.

"This is my first year of high school tennis," Knoxville Catholic junior Erin Allen said after leading her teammates to the school's first B Division girls' championship after topping Suzanna Camp of University School of Jackson in the singles final. "I do not like the cold, but it's great to be a part of us winning this tournament for the first time."

Though Birmingham's Spain Park High School finished second to Catholic in the girls' B standings, sisters Sydney and Daryn Ellison's doubles crown served notice that Spain Park might be tough to beat a year from now.

Down 5-2 to Catholic in the No. 1 doubles final, the Ellisons - looking every bit as dominant as pro tennis's Williams sisters - went on a 6-1 run to grab the crown.

"This was our first time together," said Sydney, who's in the eighth grade.

"Just glad we were able to come back," added a smiling Daryn.

But if their best tennis came at the end of their match, University School of Jackson's Cade Reasons was dominant throughout his singles title, beating Knoxville Catholic's Jacob Lorino 6-0, 6-1.

"Oh, this is awesome," said the junior Reasons, who also teamed with senior George Markos to take home the doubles medal. "I told a writer back in Jackson that we were going to win the state this year. This helps show us what we can do."

Knoxville Catholic coach Dusty Morris believes there's something to that. He's watched both of the school's boys' teams that won the Rotary (2012 and 2013) go on to win state titles.

"This tournament, historically, has been so important in gauging where we are and helping build momentum for the state," Morris said. "You're together all weekend. It really helps you bond. If we can stay healthy, I think we've got a chance."

Given that most past Rotary participants, especially coaches, have believed it's tougher to win the Rotary than the state, it would seem as if a lot of schools could be in position to win their respective state titles later this spring.

But regardless of that, ageless Rotary supporter and lifelong tennis booster John Guerry - "I've tried to see them all," he said Saturday morning at the Baylor courts - believes more than ever that "there's not a better Southern high school tennis tournament anywhere."

Regardless of the weather.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com

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