May 6—SOUTH AIKEN 6, MAY RIVER 0
South Aiken’s boys’ tennis team knew it was going to be in for a difficult match Monday at the Weeks Tennis Center.
Visiting May River may not have put up the most impressive numbers over the course of the season, but coming into round three of the Class AAAA playoffs the only results that really mattered were the previous two — both seeding-line upsets on the road by the 11th-seeded Sharks, so the second-seeded T-Breds knew they couldn’t make any assumptions.
They knew their opponents would be making the trip to Aiken with plenty of confidence, so they knew they’d need to be sharp to keep May River from building the kind of momentum that had been accumulating during those wins in rounds one and two.
Once again, these T-Breds were up to the task. They took the opening set in each match, then doubled that up for a shutout victory that sends South Aiken to Wednesday’s Lower State semifinal at No. 1 Bishop England.
“Absolutely amazing. We knew that it was going to be a tough match going in, and every guy picked it up, played their very best and had some great results,” said head coach Dee Dee Redd. “Great scores. Everyone on the court won in two straight sets. Super impressive, and they all played very well.”
May River only won one regular-season match while playing a difficult schedule that included Bishop England, No. 4 seed Bluffton and eighth-seeded Hilton Head Island in region play. But the Sharks scored wins over sixth-seeded Hartsville and third-seeded Wilson to punch their ticket to the third round.
South Aiken, on the other hand, loaded up on the non-region schedule as much as possible to offset the massive Region 4-AAAA slate, and Redd said she spoke with athletic director Bob Polewski and principal Samuel Fuller earlier in the day about the benefits of those early-season tests.
“Setting up a much more difficult season for them to play hopefully has prepared them to go into this Lower State competition,” she said.
Landen Reagan got the T-Breds on the board first with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles, and soon he was joined by Xander Leigh and Max Lacy after their 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles.
Coda Hughes was next with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles, and moments later David Baker supplied the clincher with his 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1. Timmy Videtto added a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4, and then Kiyu Hughes completed the sweep when he closed out his 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 2.
The T-Breds’ depth was once again on full display, as they overwhelmed the Sharks on every court — and not just the six that counted toward the match score.
“It’s fantastic. We actually had our numbers 8 and 9 play an exhibition match. Both of them also won those lines, which was extremely exciting,” Redd said. “Just to know that if something were to happen to one of my players, other players are ready to move up and take that spot.”
South Aiken will be on the road Wednesday after three straight home playoff matches by virtue of being the No. 2 seed to Bishop England’s No. 1. The Battling Bishops have also made quick work of their playoff opponents, beating region rivals Hilton Head Island and Bluffton by 5-1 scores following a first-round bye.
Wednesday’s winner advances to Saturday morning’s state championship match at the Cayce Tennis Center. The T-Breds are looking for their sixth state title in program history and their first appearance since a runner-up finish in 2018. The Bishops have 10 titles to their credit, most recently the Class AAA championship in 2019.
SOUTH AIKEN 6, MAY RIVER 0
South Aiken’s boys’ tennis team knew it was going to be in for a difficult match Monday at the Weeks Tennis Center.
Visiting May River may not have put up the most impressive numbers over the course of the season, but coming into round three of the Class AAAA playoffs the only results that really mattered were the previous two – both seeding-line upsets on the road by the 11th-seeded Sharks, so the second-seeded T-Breds knew they couldn’t make any assumptions.
They knew their opponents would be making the trip to Aiken with plenty of confidence, so they knew they’d need to be sharp to keep May River from building the kind of momentum that had been accumulating during those wins in rounds one and two.
Once again, these T-Breds were up to the task. They took the opening set in each match, then doubled that up for a shutout victory that sends South Aiken to Wednesday’s Lower State semifinal at No. 1 Bishop England.
“Absolutely amazing. We knew that it was going to be a tough match going in, and every guy picked it up, played their very best and had some great results,” said head coach Dee Dee Redd. “Great scores. Everyone on the court won in two straight sets. Super impressive, and they all played very well.”
May River only won one regular-season match while playing a difficult schedule that included Bishop England, No. 4 seed Bluffton and eighth-seeded Hilton Head Island in region play. But the Sharks scored wins over sixth-seeded Hartsville and third-seeded Wilson to punch their ticket to the third round.
South Aiken, on the other hand, loaded up on the non-region schedule as much as possible to offset the massive Region 4-AAAA slate, and Redd said she spoke with athletic director Bob Polewski and principal Samuel Fuller earlier in the day about the benefits of those early-season tests.
“Setting up a much more difficult season for them to play hopefully has prepared them to go into this Lower State competition,” she said.
Landen Reagan got the T-Breds on the board first with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles, and soon he was joined by Xander Leigh and Max Lacy after their 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles.
Coda Hughes was next with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles, and moments later David Baker supplied the clincher with his 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1. Timmy Videtto added a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4, and then Kiyu Hughes completed the sweep when he closed out his 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 2.
The T-Breds’ depth was once again on full display, as they overwhelmed the Sharks on every court – and not just the six that counted toward the match score.
“It’s fantastic. We actually had our numbers 8 and 9 play an exhibition match. Both of them also won those lines, which was extremely exciting,” Redd said. “Just to know that if something were to happen to one of my players, other players are ready to move up and take that spot.”
South Aiken will be on the road Wednesday after three straight home playoff matches by virtue of being the No. 2 seed to Bishop England’s No. 1. The Battling Bishops have also made quick work of their playoff opponents, beating region rivals Hilton Head Island and Bluffton by 5-1 scores following a first-round bye.
Wednesday’s winner advances to Saturday morning’s state championship match at the Cayce Tennis Center. The T-Breds are looking for their sixth state title in program history and their first appearance since a runner-up finish in 2018. The Bishops have 10 titles to their credit, most recently the Class AAA championship in 2019.
