Callaway’s girls’ tennis team won its second straight Region 5-AA championship on Thursday. Front from left are Daiquiri Lucio, Olivia Howard, Susie Cha and Wendi Lee. Back from left are Kaitlyn Gilbert, Lillie Senn, Kasey Barintine, Divlin Kaur, Hannah Mueller, Jill Cook, Rachel Williams, Sydney Cook, Chelsea Scott, Lislie Smith, and coach Kareem Douhne.
Sports Editor
The Callaway High Lady Cavaliers are region champions - again.
After making history by winning the school’s first region championship a year ago, the Lady Cavs repeated that feat on Thursday by taking the top spot at the Region 5-AA tournament in Lamar County.
The Lady Cavaliers beat the host Lamar County Lady Trojans 3-0 in the first match, and they handled Heard County 3-1 in the championship match.
Callaway will be at home for the first round of the state tournament next week against the fourth-place team from Region 8-AA.
“They’d never won a region title before a year ago, and they did that, and they’ve never won two in a row, so they said, let’s do that,” Callaway coach Kareem Douhne said. “It’s just all the hard work and wanting it. They were anxious to get out there and get it done. They were excited to get it done.”
The Lady Cavaliers improved to 15-2, and in addition to beating every region foe they faced, they also beat a number of bigger schools.
On Thursday, Lamar County didn’t provide much of a challenge.
The Lady Cavs got victories from Hannah Mueller at No. 1 singles, Jill Cook at No. 2 doubles,, and Divlin Kaur at No. 3 singles.
Callaway was leading both doubles matches, but those matches were pulled when the outcome was decided.
Rachel Williams and Leslie Smith were up at No. 1 doubles, and Kasey Barintine and Kaitlin Gilbert were leading at No. 2 doubles.
Heard County was a tougher foe in the finals, but the Lady Braves were unable to keep Callaway from pulling off the repeat.
Mueller and Kaur won in singles, and Williams and Smith won in doubles to clinch the title.
Williams, one of the team’s veterans, was “lights out,” according to Douhne.
“She was good today,” he said. “They couldn’t do anything with her.”
Cook dropped a tight match at No. 2 singles, and Barintine and Gilbert were leading at No. 2 doubles when the match was called.
Douhne said the players’ goal now is to take the program a little further by winning the first state match in school history.
“We’re hoping to win in the first round, take it another step,” he said.
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