The Nation Ford girls tennis team suffered its first conference defeat of the season Tuesday night, falling to the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets 4-2. The loss drops the Falcons’ record in 5A-R3 conference play to 4-1.
Nation Ford struggled in singles play, with Tejal Guntuboyina and Ansley Mcdonald both falling in straight sets. Jiya Guntuboyina also lost in two sets, giving Fort Mill the advantage. The Falcons’ two points came from Piper Land and Eva Mabey, who both secured decisive victories. Land defeated Kendell McCarty 7-5, 6-0, while Mabey rolled past Smitri Kirubakaran 6-1, 6-1.
In doubles action, the Yellow Jackets clinched the match. The No. 2 doubles team of Ella McCullough and Anna Overcash lost a hard-fought match to Fort Mill’s Ellie Gorbet and Sofia Burger, 6-7 (7-5), 2-6.
The Falcons will look to bounce back on Thursday when they face Northwestern High School.
In other Tuesday night action, the Nation Ford boys and girls volleyball teams had a successful outing against their Fort Mill rivals. The girls’ varsity team won its match 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-17), improving their conference record to 5-0. They will also face Northwestern on Thursday. The Fort Mill girls’ team falls to 2-3 in conference play and will host Catawba Ridge on Thursday.
The Nation Ford boys’ varsity volleyball team secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Yellow Jackets at home. The Falcons dropped the first set 21-25 before rallying to win the next two 25-19, 25-19. Fort Mill forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-23 victory in the fourth, but Nation Ford closed out the match with a 15-12 win. With the victory, Nation Ford improves to 3-3 in 5A-R3 play, while Fort Mill drops to 2-4.
In a battle for sole possession of first place in 5A-R3, the Catawba Ridge boys’ volleyball team defeated Clover 3-1, improving their regional record to 6-0. Catawba Ridge hosts Fort Mill on Thursday.
