MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Having failed to win a state team championship last season for the first time in over a decade, Gabby Czarnecki and the Baylor tennis team were determined to give themselves another chance in 2022.
One step away.
The Lady Red Raiders shut out Brentwood Academy 4-0 Tuesday in the semifinals of the TSSAA State Tennis Championships at Adams Tennis Complex. Czarnecki, along with Ensley Collins and Claire McOmie, claimed singles victories, while Margarette Berry and Helen Guerry, and Collins and Sloane Proffitt picked up doubles point victories.
"(Not winning) last year definitely pushed us, because we came back with kind of a vengeance," Czarnecki said. "We knew who we were playing; it was just a matter of just going out, playing and winning.
"Our team spirit is huge. It plays a strong part in winning and getting to the championship."
Baylor - which won nine consecutive state championships from 2011-19, the second-longest streak in state tournament history behind Knoxville Webb (2010-19) - is not alone in advancing to today's Division II-AA final. The Lady Red Raiders, who will face defending state champion Knoxville Catholic, are joined in the finals by McCallie, which defeated Montgomery Bell Academy 4-0 in the Division II-AA boys' semifinals.
The Blue Tornado picked up singles wins from Andreas Sillaste, Will Leathers and Gabe Getz, and doubles wins from Sillaste and Colin Tuttle and Henry Imorde and Charlie Griffin. McCallie will face Memphis University School in Wednesday's final.
In the Class A boys division, Arts & Sciences fell 4-0 to Merrol Hyde, while in Class AA girls, McMinn County fell to Tennessee High.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.