The Region 4D tennis tournaments are set to begin but Salem will not be included this year. The girls’ team did not qualify and the boys had to forfeit their match due to a school trip, and neither team qualified players for region singles or doubles.
The Salem boys were scheduled to play Jefferson Forest in Lynchburg this Friday but that conflicted with a school trip to Washington, D.C. with four of the Salem players due to be on that bus. So, the team had to forfeit, ending the season.
The boys saw their season come to an end with a 7-2 loss to Patrick Henry and a rained out match with Pulaski. The Pulaski match was “Senior Night” and Salem still managed to celebrate the careers of Alan Burr, Evan Graybill, Dresden Fries. and Luke Stovall.
“They have been exemplary multi-dimensional student-athletes,” said coach Steve Lily. “Each senior demonstrated remarkable individual improvement and team commitment befitting the best traditions of Salem tennis.”
The girls ended their season with a 9-0 win over Pulaski but, even with the win, the Spartans were edged out by Halifax for the last spot in the region. The Spartans finished 7-9.
“Unfortunately I don’t think Halifax played as difficult a schedule, but it is what it is,” said coach Jill Perez. “We had a pretty good season considering we had lost our top four players from last year, so I was pleased on how the team progressed throughout the season.”
