The Lake Oconee Academy girls’ tennis team captured the program’s first state championship this past Saturday at Berry College in Rome, defeating powerhouse Telfair County in a close match.
The Lady Titans triumphed over the Lady Trojans in a nail-biting 3-2 win, adding a thrilling end to their ‘magical’ season. Their effort pleased their head coach, Tom Imhof, who was happy for his girls.
“It was a magical day to conclude a magical season,” Imhof said. “Everything just fell into place for us.”
Telfair County took an early 2-0 lead with victories over Georgia Bosart and Elizabeth Moore, Lake Oconee Academy’s No. 1 and No. 2 singles players; however, the Lady Titans’ luck quickly changed.
LOA’s No. 3 singles player, Anika Imhof, swept her match to tie it up. The No. 2 doubles team, consisting of Lainee Carter and Mary Claire McCommons, fed off Imhof’s momentum and tied the match.
With the score notched at 2-2, it was down to the No. 1 doubles match. Fortunately for Lake Oconee Academy’s girls, the duo of Riley Paine and Jaime Beatty were able to grind out the big win.
Paine and Beatty’s first set with the Lady Trojans’ top doubles duo was tough, but they won a 6-4 battle. The second set was tied 3-3 before the Lady Titans’ dynamic duo took the next three games to secure the match for their team and solidified the first state championship in program history.
According to Imhof, when Paine and Beatty went up 4-3, they changed sides and realized the entire crowd moved to watch them. He highlighted how well his top doubles team handled the pressure.
“The pressure was on, and our girls dug deep. (Riley and Jaime) won the last three games to win. It was amazing,” he said. “It was pretty impressive. They were pumped. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Lake Oconee Academy went on a historic postseason run.
The Lady Titans got a bye to start the state playoffs but faced Christian Heritage, the team that eliminated them last season in the second round.
They took care of business against the Lady Lions, winning 3-0 to advance to the semifinal.
In the semifinal, LOA defeated the Emanuel County Institute before facing Johnson County, last year’s state runner-up, in the quarterfinal.
The Lady Titans defeated the Lady Trojans before facing Telfar County, a program that won three out of the previous state championships, in the finals.
“We took on all the big names from the last several years and won. We went through a gauntlet,” Imhof said. “I didn’t doubt our team, but it seemed like everybody had Telfair County sweeping right through it, and they were crowning them before we played. When everything was said and done, it was quiet. The crowd was shocked. You couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the season.”