Pillow Academy’s girls tennis team won its second consecutive State AAAA Division II championship on Thursday at the Ridgeland Tennis Center.
The Lady Mustangs outlasted Lamar by defeating them in both girls singles finals matches to capture the gold again. Previous to last year’s championship run, Pillow had not won a state team championship since 1997.
Senior Maggie Taylor ended her solid six-year Pillow career with her first-ever championship, capped with a 6-1, 7-5 victory No. 1 girls singles. Taylor on Wednesday won 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals.
Taylor had twice before made it to the state finals and finally won it on her third time around.
PA eighth-grader Dia Chawla avenged her finals defeat from a year ago with a 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over Lamar in the No. 2 girls singles. Chawla ran through the competition on Wednesday, winning her quarterfinal match 6-0, 6-0 over Simpson and 6-0, 6-0 in the semis over East Rankin.
Pillow’s Mari-Brian Crick was denied a championship repeat in No. 1 girls doubles when she and teammate Madison Jefcoat fell 6-1, 7-6 (5) to Simpson in the finals. Crick and Jefcoat defeated 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and East Rankin 6-1, 6-2 in the semis.
Closing out the Pillow squad’s finals run, the freshmen duo of Anne Craig Melton and Elizabeth Powers lost 6-4, 6-1 to Lamar in the No. 2 girls doubles title match. They defeated Hartfield 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and won a thrilling 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (5) victory over Simpson in the semifinals.
Taylor is the lone senior. With six of seven returning starters, and five of seven starters presently in the ninth and eighth grade, expectations will be high for years to come for the PA girls.
