Tiger tennis historic season ends with runner-up finish at state tournament

The record-setting season for Hartselle ended last week with the boy’s finishing runner-up in the 6A State Tournament held at the Mobile Tennis Center. The runner-up finish is a first for the program, coached by Chris Pressnell. The girls’ team finished fourth overall.

The Tigers’ top singles player, Reid Collins, reached the finals before finishing runner-up. No. 2 Landon Collins, no. 5 Marc Cera, and no. 6 Sam Stone reached the semifinals of their flights, while no. 3 Ben Carnes and no. 4 Nolan Sparks reached the second round.

The no. 3 doubles team of Marc Cera and Zeke Priola reached the finals and finished runner-up in their flight. The no. 1 doubles team of Landon Robinson and Ben Carnes, along with the no. 2 team of Nolan Sparks and Reid Collins, reached the second round.

The Tigers scored a school record 39 points in the 2024 State Tournament. They finished six points ahead of Spanish Fort and nine points ahead of Northridge.

The girls’ team finished fourth overall with 30 points, edging McGill-Toolen (29) and Muscle Shoals (25). They finished three points out of third.

Miller McLeod finished runner-up in the flight no. 6 finals for the Lady Tigers’ best singles finish. No. 4 singles Kate Wilbanks and no. 5 singles Lily Reese reached the semi-finals in their flights. No. 1 Caroline Sparks, no. 2 Avie Broom, and no. 3 Elanor Vest reached the second round of their flights.

Vest and Reese, the no. 3 doubles team, reached the semifinals of their flight, while Wilbanks and McLeod, the no. 1 team, reached the third round.