On Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Lady Panther tennis team won their region for the third year in a row with a comeback win against Clinton High School.

Earlier this season, the Panthers defeated Clinton at home in similar style, with wins from numbers one, two, and three singles, as well as number one doubles. The second time around, number four singles helped decide the victor.

Clinton started off strong with Gracie Spangler, Kimora Wesley, and Ella Adair defeating freshman Madeleine Williams, junior Aria Baddorf, and freshman Norah Carroll in number five singles and number two doubles. Chapman got their first wins when junior Alex Kinlaw defeated Chandler Dailey 6-3, 6-0, and junior Elizabeth Williams defeated Ana Maria Rincon 6-4, 6-1. 

Tied at 2-2, Clinton took number one singles with Mary Catherine Dailey defeating eighth-grader Westlyn Morris 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5). With Clinton now up 3-2, number four singles would decide the fate of the match. 

If Chapman won, number one doubles would decide the winner. If Clinton won, they won the match.

Sophomore Juliana Coates took the first set 6-2 against Clinton’s Reese Gowan, but Gowan led 2-5 in the second. Coates fought back to bring the set to 6-6 and won the set tiebreaker 9-7.

From there, it was one-way traffic as Elizabeth Williams and Alex Kinlaw handily won number one doubles 6-3, 6-1 to clinch the victory.