MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Laughter really was the best medicine.
Having just been broken to go down 3-4 in the final set of the Division II-AA tennis doubles state final, Girls Preparatory School's Maddox Bandy and Jenna Thorstenson had a little laugh between themselves. It helped them calm the nerves and refocus.
The Bruisers duo calmly won the last three games, including breaking serve twice, to defeat Baylor's Lauren Carelli and Presley Thomas 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and claim their second consecutive title at Adams Tennis Center.
Baylor junior Drew Hawkins also claimed a second straight state title, defeating Harpeth Hall eighth-grader Winslow Huth 6-2, 6-1. It was a far cry from the regular-season match, which Hawkins won 6-3, 7-5.
"Today I definitely had a lot more motivation," Hawkins said. "I was really focused. I was nervous, but the adrenaline really helped, so I went out there, tried my hardest - probably my hardest of the entire year - and that's what really made the difference because she played great, not bad at all, but I just focused on the match, tried my hardest and it worked out."
Hawkins, a four-star prospect according to Tennisrecruiting.net with early offers from Navy and Belmont, said Friday she plans to try for a third straight title in 2017.
She could have to face Bandy for that title. But Friday the GPS sophomore was more focused on pairing up with the senior Thorstenson for a second straight title. They got off to a good start in winning the first set, something they didn't do against Carelli and Thomas when the teams faced off for the region doubles championship on May 6, but then watched the Baylor sophomores take the second set 6-4.
"It's so hard to come off a second-set loss," Thorstenson said. "Going into the third set mentally because you just lost. What could I have done differently? What errors am I making?
"We usually just laugh when things aren't going well. It can really eat at you if you think too much about it, so to have your partner make you laugh is uplifting."
The thought of playing singles in the postseason crossed Bandy's mind during the season, but she admitted she ultimately chose doubles because of the connection she has with her partner.
"I still have two years left to go for singles," Bandy said. "We've played doubles for so long, and it was the last year we could play together - the last show - so we might as well go for it."
And now the pair have another top prize to signify another championship year.