They didn’t win it all, but Lexington completed a successful weekend of girls tennis with a third place finish in division two in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team championships held on Sunday in Reynoldsburg.
Lady Lex, the northwest district champs, beat Ottawa Hills to win the district title a couple of weeks ago. They had downed Lima Shawnee, Celina and Wauseon to reach the district final.
They had finished ninth in the final Division II poll.
Lexington lost in the semi finals Sunday to a very good Columbus Academy team 3-1. Academy would lose in the state final. Three singles matches and two doubles matches are played, just like the regular season, and the winner of each match scores a point for her team. One of the doubles matches was not completed.
Coach Ron Schaub thought they gave Columbus Academy, actually located in Gahanna, a real battle in the semi.
“It was very, very close. Juillian Earnest won her match. Our number one doubles team was up 5-3 in the third when the match was called and we barely lost in second doubles 6-4 in the third set. We had great effort,” he said.
Lexington the rebounded to win the consolation match 3-2 over Dayton Chaminade Julienne, the number two ranked team in the state.
“Then coming back and beating Chaminade Julienne, who beat the number team in the state Cincinnati Indian Hill last year. We had a great time and it was a fun day,” said Schaub.
Lexington won both doubles matches against a Chaminade Julienne as well as third singles.
The doubles team of Jillian Earnest and Alex Griebling finished fourth in the individual doubles competition completed Saturday at The Ohio State University. In semi-final action on Saturday morning they lost to the eventual Division II state champions in Lauren Hawley and Amanda Showalter of Kettering Alter 6-3 and 7-5.
Schaub says the team was very close to forcing a third set against the state champs.
“You figure there are 250 schools in division one and at least 250 schools in division two and they all enter the tournament that is going to be 500 doubles teams and if you can beat out 496 of those doubles teams you have had a successful tournament,” Schaub said.
“Jillian and Ali played really strong. The team that won the state Kettering Alter we had them 5-3 in the second set and three set points and didn’t capitalize, but it wasn’t because of lack of effort, the effort was there,” continued Schaub. “We played the defending state champs for Orange. So, we lost to the team that won state this year and last year.”
Lexington has won every Ohio Cardinal Conference team title ever contested, in boys’ and girls’ tennis, since the league as formed in 2004.
Lexington won team state titles in 2006, 2007 and 2011.
They are the only Richland County school to ever play in the state final four.
Pepper Pike Orange won the Division II state title this year. Dublin Jerome won in Division I.
