Rampants break into 4th round

Seconds after J.H. Rose's Emily Clark won her singles match on Tuesday, teammate Lauren Frazier was the first to approach her and tell her that the Rampants didn't need to play doubles.

Not having to play doubles was nothing new to the Rampant tennis team, but the way that it happened was.

J.H. Rose won five of the six singles matches and advanced to the 4-A Eastern Regional finals with a win over Wilmington Hoggard on Tuesday. Three of Rose's five wins needed a third-set tiebreaker, including Clark's comeback win that capped singles play. If Clark would've lost to Hoggard's Erica Linett, the two teams would've had to play doubles to decide a winner.

“I actually did not (know the scenario), but after the fact I realized it,” Clark said. “I was just trying to do my best and that's all I could do.”

Clark, Gabby Khoury and Kristen Joyner all won their third-set tiebreakers to improve JHR's record to 13-0.

“That's incredible,” Rose coach Liz Upton said of the tiebreaker victories. “You usually run into tiebreaks here and there, but to pick up all three of them in a match this tough is big.”

J.H. Rose will host Raleigh Broughton on Thursday with the winner advancing to Saturday's state championship match.

The victory was the Rampants' second over Hoggard (13-2) this season.

“We beat them 6-3 earlier in the year, but their No. 2 player was missing,” Upton said. “I knew it was going to be close because both teams play a lot alike. We knew whoever showed up today, whoever wanted it the most and fought the hardest would win. I have to give my girls credit because they fought until the end.”

Hoggard's only singles victory came from the No. 3 spot when Haley Black defeated Scarlett Walston, 6-3, 6-7 (7-3).

J.H. Rose fell behind in other matches, but fought back for victories.

Clark lost her first set, 7-5, but rebounded with a 6-4 win in the second set and won the tiebreak, 10-8.

Joyner lost the first set to Elizabeth Hodges, 7-5, but won the second set, 6-1, and the tiebreak, 14-12. Khoury and Chloe Opper split the first two sets, and Khoury took the tiebreak, 10-8.

Contact Ronnie Woodward at rwoodward@reflector.com or (252) 329-9592.