LEXINGTON — Corbin coach Chris Jones is excited to see all six of his girls’ tennis players compete in this week’s KHSAA Girls’ State Tennis Tournament, which begins on Tuesday.
The Lady Redhounds are coming off their 14th consecutive 13th Region title and Jones is thrilled for his players to be rewarded for their hard work.
He expects 13th Region singles champion Lindsay Jones to make a run in the tournament, along with doubles partners Katie Morton and Olivia McArthur. Allison Lundy and Abby Lunsford are also expected to impress during the doubles state tournament, along with Kaiden Walden, who will participate in the singles tournament with Jones.
Jones will face Barren County’s Addyson McFall at 9:15 a.m., while Walden will go against North Laurel’s Eva Clark at 8 a.m.
“Lindsay will be returning to state after another impressive run capturing her third consecutive region singles championship,” Jones said. “Lindsay had a great showing at state last year making it to the round of 16. She did get a decent draw this year and also has a good chance to go deep into the tournament.
“Kaiden is a soccer standout in only her second year on the tennis team,” he added. “She managed to secure a 4 seed in the region this year and make it to the semifinals, earning her first trip to the state tournament. Kaiden is a super-quick and consistent player that could do well at state. It is unfortunate that for the second year in a row, two girls that faced off in the region semifinals have to play each other in the first round of state. However, at least we know this is a match that Kaiden can certainly win since the two split their only two contests during the season this year.”
Lundy and Lunsford will have to get past Montgomery County’s Jenna Easterwood and Megan Allen on Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. if they want to advance to second round action.
“Allison Lundy will be playing in state for the second year in a row with her new teammate this year, Abby Lunsford,” Jones said. “Abby will be playing in her first state tournament. These two seniors, who even share the exact same birthday, have really come together well as a team this year. They got a really good draw and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Morton and McArthur will play Morgan County’s Cora Hammonds and Lily Litteral at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Katie Morton captured her impressive third consecutive region title in doubles this year with her new teammate, Olivia McArthur, after her sister, Rachel Morton, graduated,” Jones said. “Olivia really improved her game this year and is no stranger to playing at state, as she played last year with Allison Lundy. They, too, have a decent draw and with both girls having state experience, they will have a good shot to go deep into the tournament.”
