Corbin ladies clinch title

 The Corbin Lady Redhounds clinched their third straight 13^th Region tennis title with second-round wins in singles and doubles. Corbin finished the day with 11 points well ahead of the rest of the teams. The Lady Redhounds will host the Sectional next week with teams from the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th region coming to the Corbin Tennis Courts.

“Corbin girls have worked really hard this year to win the third in a row team title and a chance to play in the first year of the sectionals,” said Coach Donnie Head.  

“We still would like to have a singles champion and doubles champions come out of the regionals. But winning the team title today it will take a little of the pressure off the girls left in the tournament,” said Head.

In singles’ play, Bailee Freeman defeated Sarah Perkins of Williamsburg, 6-3, 6-2 while Sydney Ledington defeated South Laurel Erika Burchett, 6-3, 6-0. In earlier matches, Freeman downed Whitley County’s Kori Sears, 6-1, 6-0 and Ledington shutout Harlan’s Bailey Cole, 6-0, 6-0.

The top two doubles’ teams were left standing heading into Tuesday’s semifinals. Number one-seeded Erin Hart and Jaclyn Jewell defeated Mason and Knuckles, 6-3, 2-1 after the Middlesboro team had an injury in the second set.

Whitley County’s Kayla Sears and Megan Paul, the number two-seeded team downed North Laurel’s Ryle-Hubbard in the second-round, 6-0, 6-0 then knocked off Corbin’s Caroline Reedy and Catharine Crawford in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-0.

“We played a little tight in that first set,” said Whitley County Coach Nickie Dugger. “That got us warmed up for the second set which we took 6-0.”

“When they got that first set under their belts they picked up the pace and communicated well. They worked on volleying and worked on poaching and returned well,” Dugger added.

Regardless of the outcome of the semifinal, Sears and Paul will make the trip to the state tennis tournament in Lexington next week.