Hoover, AL – Donoho girls take second at Class 4A-5A Section 5 tournament, punch ticket to Mobile and yet another state-tournament appearance. Oxford duo to state.
Team scores
1. Briarwood Christian 70
2. Donoho 68
3. Leeds 35
4. Altamont 30
5. Indian Springs 28,
6. Ramsay and Center Point 8
8. Moody 5
9. Jacksonville 0
Donoho’s girls’ tennis team has made the state tournament a rite of late April, and the Falcons are headed back to Mobile.
Donoho won two singles courts and two doubles courts and finished second in Friday’s Class 4A-5A, Section 5 tournament at Hoover Country Club.
Starting in 2009,, the Falcons have made 15 of 16 state tournaments, finishing as Class 1A-3A runner up in 2021 and 2022 and 4A-5A runner up in 2023. They finished third in 1A-3A in 2018 and 2019.
Donoho’s girls won 1A-3A state titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
Their success caused them to move up in classification, from 1A-3A to 4A-5A, via the AHSAA’s competitive balance rule for private schools starting in the 2022-23 school year.
There was no state tournament in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Falcons did not make the 2015 state tournament.
Donoho finished sectional play with 68 points, two back of champion Briarwood Christian, and qualified for state as a team. They will play at the Mobile Tennis Center on Thursday and Friday.
Elizabeth Downey won the No. 5 singles court at sectional, and Claire Tollison won No. 6 singles. Blair Kitchen/Avery Barnett won No. 1 doubles, and Natalie Rodgers/Samantha Wakefield won No. 3 doubles.
OXFORD DUO TO STATE: Oxford’s No. 1 boys’ doubles duo of Kye McEwen and Lucas Somers won their court at the Class 6A, Section 6 tournament at Pell City Civic Center. They qualified for state.
Oxford’s Claire Maniscalco was runner up in No. 1 singles, and she teamed with Charlie Lambert to finish runner up in No. 1 doubles.
