C.B. Aycock extends conference-match win streak to 295

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 15, 2006 2:20 PM

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Divine intervention.

A 30-minute rainshower slickened the Wayne Community College tennis courts and suspended play during Thursday afternoon's contest between county rivals Charles B. Aycock and Eastern Wayne.

Once play resumed, the Golden Falcons seized a 7-2 victory and defeated a conference opponent for the 295th consecutive time. Aycock (5-1) improved to 3-0 on the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference scene and handed Eastern Wayne (3-1 ECC) its first loss in six outings.

"Our younger players are improving each match," said Golden Falcons coach Luke Vail. "Raychel (Batts) and Lizzie (Sodoma) are both starting to play well and are providing good leadership for our team.

"I was proud of the fight and determination displayed by Kristen Bennett."

Bennett trailed 6-5 and faced set point against the Warriors' Elizabeth Borden as a steady rainfall led to unplayable conditions. After the half-hour stoppage ended, Bennett forced a tiebreaker and claimed the opening set.

The players traded service breaks early in the second set. Bennett eventually pulled in front 5-2, but couldn't break Borden's serve to end the match. Borden held a 40-30 advantage on Bennett's serve in the next game, but Bennett won three straight points and the match 7-6 (6), 6-3.

"Elizabeth was on a roll," said Warriors coach Nancy Dawson. "(The delay) gave them a chance to regroup and that's beyond my control. That's not making excuses; just a fact that happened.

"She went out and played a decent second set."

Bennett's come-from-behind triumph clinched the Golden Falcons' win overall. Aycock is now a combined 21-0 against county foes Eastern Wayne and Southern Wayne since the ECC's inception in 2001.

Batts, the top seed, earned career win No. 92 with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lauren Bynum. Batts has yet to lose a set in three conference matches and has lost just two games during that stretch.

Sodoma controlled the tempo from start to finish in a 6-2, 6-2 conquest of Warrior sophomore Lindsey Frederick. Fourth-seeded Emilee Quinn turned back Eastern Wayne's Nicole Fine 6-4, 6-2. Sixth-seeded Courtney Barnes stopped the Warriors' Danielle Daniel 6-2, 6-2.

Second-seeded Casie Musgrave defeated Aycock's Kristen Prosser 6-4, 6-3.

Dawson had to reconstruct her lineup earlier this week due to the absence of Mollie Musgrave, who is out with a severe sinus infection. The Warriors slipped past county rival Southern Wayne and edged Wilson Hunt in thrilling fashion on Tuesday.

"I knew having to move everybody up in the lineup against a strong team was going to put us down two (matches) right to start with," said Dawson. "The one thing that has helped my sophomores is that they've played junior varsity, and they have match experience.

"The matches Monday and Tuesday were good for us ... helped prepare us (for Aycock)."

The Golden Falcons prevailed in two of three contested doubles matches. Sodoma-Prosser overcame early hitting mistakes and stopped Bynum-Musgrave 8-5. Quinn-Barnes triumphed 8-2 over Borden-Emily Northington at the No. 3 slot.

Frederick-Daniel rebounded from their singles losses and handed Aycock's Bennett-Kara Kelly an 8-4 setback.

"Our girls stepped up to the challenge and played very well overall," said Vail. "I was especially pleased with our consistency on our groundstrokes in singles.

"Eastern Wayne has good depth on their team. It was a good quality conference win for us. We are now starting to build confidence in our game."

C.B. Aycock puts a five-match win streak on the line Tuesday afternoon at Southern Wayne. The Warriors conclude first-half ECC play the same day at Kinston.

C.B. Aycock 7

Eastern Wayne 2

Singles - No. 1 Raychel Batts (CBA) d. Lauren Bynum 6-0, 6-1; No. 2 Casie Musgrave (EW) d. Kristen Prosser 6-4, 6-3; No. 3 Lizzie Sodoma (CBA) d. Lindsey Frederick 6-2, 6-2; No. 4 Emilee Quinn (CBA) d. Nicole Fine 6-4, 6-2; No. 5 Kristen Bennett (CBA) d. Elizabeth Borden 7-6 (6), 6-3; No. 6 Courtney Barnes (CBA) d. Danielle Daniel 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles - No. 1 Prosser-Sodoma (CBA) d. Bynum-C. Musgrave 8-5; No. 2 Frederick-Daniel (EW) d. Bennett-Kara Kelly 8-4; No. 3 Quinn-Barnes (CBA) d. Borden-Emily Northington 8-2.

Records: C.B. Aycock 5-1, 3-0 ECC 3-A; Eastern Wayne 5-1, 3-1 ECC 3-A.