The situation wasn’t ideal Monday for GPS tennis coach Sue Bartlett.
The results were.
The Bruisers first claimed the doubles point, then the three singles wins necessary to defeat Harpeth Hall 4-1 and advance to the Division II-AA state semifinals next week in Murfreesboro.
The match was played earlier in the week than normal for a quarterfinal match to accommodate some end-of-the-week conflicts, and against a Honeybears program that had been in the state semifinals eight consecutive seasons.
That, plus starting the week off with a tough match immediately after school made for differing circumstances, albeit similar results. GPS qualified for its 14th consecutive state tournament, the longest such streak in Tennessee.
The Bruisers defeated their opponents 6-1 during the regular season, but the Honeybears (6-4) played much better Monday. They had a win at No. 3 doubles from Kathryn Risner and Helen Griffith, which turned out to be their only completed victory of the day.
The other win, with Griffith defeating Barbie Edwards at No. 6 singles, came only when Bartlett pulled Edwards off the court after the freshman had been dealing with a stomach virus late last week.
Edwards was up 5-4 in the first set at the time of the default.
GPS (7-5) got wins in singles from Maddox Bandy, Kate Thel and Maggie Eslinger, Eslinger’s 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles sealing the team victory. The doubles wins came from Bandy and Corinne Spann, and Ellie Edwards and Maggie Eslinger, who rallied from 4-1 down to win a crucial match.
“This type of match, I knew would be tougher,” Bartlett said. “Harpeth Hall was getting better every time we played them.”
The good thing about the Monday match is that it gives the Bruisers a week to prepare for the state tournament, where they likely will face West region champion Hutchison.
“The main thing is to stay rested,” Bartlett said. “We want to play some, but not overdo. There are a few things we need to keep working on – same things we’ve been working on all year, to go over those.
“But the main thing is we want to be rested and ready to play on Tuesday.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.