Six defending champions in NCHSAA girls’ tennis state tournament

Six defending individual or team champions will be in the field Friday and Saturday, in the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s girls’ tennis championships.

The final weekend of the delayed 2020-21 high school athletic season will feature state tennis tournaments at three sites.

The 4A competition is set for Millbrook Exchange Park in Raleigh; 3A at Burlington Tennis Complex; and the 1A and 2A at Cary Tennis Park.

Matches begin at 9 a.m. each day.

The 4A singles field includes Hough’s Orianna Espinoza and Mooresville’s Julia Abrams. Espinoza teamed with Jessica Branon to win the doubles title in the last girls’ championships, held in November 2019. Abrams was part of the runner-up doubles team.

And in 4A doubles, Branon is back with a new partner, Meira Volk.

It’s a similar situation in 3A.

In 2019, Charlotte Catholic’s Maggie Gehrig and Ava Tan won in doubles. Gehrig is in the singles field this year, and her competition includes New Hanover’s Peyton Philemon, part of the 2019 doubles runner-up team.

Tan is back in doubles, this time with Kaitlyn Tozzi.

In 2A, Fred T. Foard’s Alexis Wolgemuth, part of a 2019 doubles championship tandem, is competing in singles.

And back to defend her singles championship in 1A is Pine Lake Prep’s Andersen Schubert.

There are 16 entries in the 2A, 3A and 4A fields, and eight entries in 1A.

2020-2021 NCHSAA 1A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Singles Draw

First Round

Keerthi Avula (Raleigh Charter) vs. Lourdes Lopez

Emma Grace Bost (Gray Stone Day) vs. Riley Maldonado (Rosewood)

Andersen Schubert (Pine Lake Prep) vs. Tinsley Moore (Princeton)

Helen Brockmann (Franklin Academy) vs. Jacy Noble (South Stanly)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 1A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Doubles Draw

First Round

Sabrina Grewal & Olivia Hankinson (Research Triangle) vs. Sylvia Prevett & Tristen Blevins (East Wilkes)

Sophia Taffet & Syria Mannepalli (Pine Lake Prep) vs. Sarayu Brundavanam & Morgan Huguely (Raleigh Charter)

Tara Martin & Evelyn Ruedisueli (East Surry) vs. Krisha Avula & Samantha Levine (Raleigh Charter)

Anisah Sison & Abby Armistead (Franklin Academy) vs. Olivia Perkins & Ella Brandt (Mt. Airy)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 2A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Singles Draw

First Round

Mary Emma Holscher (Washington) vs. Sidney Ross (Lake Norman Charter)

Hanna Carter (Wheatmore) vs. Lucy Bovard (Mount Pleasant)

Alexis Wolgemuth (Fred T. Foard) vs. Hinson Britt (Greene Central)

Elizabeth Wallace (Ashe County) vs. Emily Roach (Randleman)

Jessica Fuchas (Oak Grove) vs. Maggie Thornton (Jordan-Matthews)

Olivia Pursley (Hendersonville) vs. Katie Sink (Croatan)

Anna Smith (Whiteville) vs. Abbey Lawson (Salisbury)

Marley Renner (Currituck County) vs. Alexa Allison (Newton-Conover)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 2A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Doubles Draw

First Round

McKinsey Harper & Kristen Cole (Greene Central) vs. Olivia Prevost & Olivia Franco (East Lincoln)

Danni Lester & Lauren Tuttle (McMichael) vs. Chloe Bethea & Marlie Stephenson (Oak Grove)

McCollough Perry& Eliza Perry (Hendersonville) vs. Grace Meyer & Mia Raynor (Croatan)

Millie Wymbs & Abby Campion (Salisbury) vs. Riley Landen & Gabby Long (Roanoke Rapids)

Lillie Rusher & Meredith Burton (Salisbury) vs. Atty Bestwick & Taylor Bond (Durham School of the Arts)

Lindsay Bull & Ava Heffner (Hendersonville) vs. Ellie Hornthal & Zoe Pureza (Northeastern)

Kara Comer & Taylor Comer (Wheatmore) vs. Megan Smith & Elei Ayers (Forbush)

Kaylee Tucker & Venancia Miller (Greene Central) vs. Brogan Heavner & Etta Godfrey (West Lincoln)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 3A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Singles Draw

First Round

Peyton Philemon (New Hanover) vs. Kayla Masterman (T.C. Roberson)

Owen Soccorso (East Chapel Hill) vs. Merritt Wilson (Marvin Ridge)

Rennie Liu (Forestview) vs. Marcela Villasuso-Venegas (Clayton

Madison Hill (Robinson) vs. River Britt (Union Pines)

Maggie Gehrig (Charlotte Catholic) vs. Brook Bieniek (Cape Fear)

Jillian Russert (Watauga) vs. Ginger Evans (J.H. Rose)

Clara Mast (East Chapel Hill) vs. Audrey Serb (Southwest Guilford)

Chloe Harrington (Northern Nash) vs. Reilly Perry (A.C. Reynolds)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 3A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Doubles Draw

First Round

Caroline Adkins & Kathryn Adkins (Fike) vs. Nicole Kozischek & Ellie Holtzman (Hickory)

Asha Sata & Mya Tan (East Chapel Hill) vs. Lacey Craig & Ally Gray (Cuthbertson)

Ashton Dickerson & Audrey Simmons (Asheville) vs. Sabrina Achki & Simone Samuel (North Brunswick)

Avery Sager & Jeslyn Pratiknjo (Marvin Ridge) vs. Mary Anna Stiles & Caroline Beasley (Terry Sanford)

Ava Tan & Kaitlyn Tozzi (Charlotte Catholic) vs. Suzanne Earnshaw & Courtney Fisher (Northwood)

Maggie Lu & Jessica Normile (Forestview) vs. Grace Breeden & Marcie LaRowe (Topsail)

Ingrid Mast & Maddie Moore (East Chapel Hill) vs. Ella Sixbury & Sadie Ehrenberg (Charlotte Catholic)

Karlyn Ray & McKenzie Millard (C.B. Aycock) vs. Jordyn Strupp & Elizabeth Anderson (Enka)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 4A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Singles Draw

First Round

Jill Gruber (Millbrook) vs. Shruthi Ramireddy (Ardrey Kell)

Brooke LaFrenz (Pinecrest) vs. Caroline Myers (Hopewell)

Elyse Duley (Myers Park) vs. Pradnya Akula (South Central)

Orianna Espinoza (Hough) vs. Gabriella Cicin (Apex)

Julia Abrams (Mooresville) vs. Olivia Corcoran (Green Hope)

Madeline Fowler (Independence) vs. Emma Hulicki (Wakefield)

Brianna Viets (Cary) vs. Maria Nikas (West Forsyth)

Sophie Khullar (Enloe) vs. Anne Mason-Moore (Myers Park)

2020-2021 NCHSAA 4A Women’s Tennis Individual State Championship

Doubles Draw

First Round

Elizabeth Vollmin & Macy Morrison (Hoggard) vs. Julia McMillan & Camden Wallace (Ardrey Kell)

Sydney Ermongkonchai & Avantika Pandita (Panther Creek) vs. Kaitlyn Crabb & Carissa Bauer (Lake Norman)

Carson Weber & Mia Basinger (Myers Park) vs. Payton Baxter & Sidney Malek (Cardinal Gibbons)

Valentina Jimenez & Virginia Jimenez (Hough) vs. Lily Murray & Maria Nieves (Panther Creek)

Jessica Branon & Meira Volk (Hough) vs. Sophia Molanphy & Natalia Molanphy (Fuquay-Varina)

Meredyth Barr & Ella Bumgardner (Myers Park) vs. Euly Gimson & Trevlyn Roberts (Broughton)

Diya Ramchandani & Ariana Mohan (Green Level) vs. Marion Idulsa & Vivian Do (West Forsyth)

Diana Higgins & Rachel Alvis (Leesville Road) vs. Hannah Biggers & Silvia Petrikis (Ardrey Kell)