By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
Salisbury tennis players encircled Lauren Gray as she held a pet chinchilla following the completion of singles.
West Lincoln took one on the chin against the Hornets in the first round of the 2A dual-team playoffs Tuesday.
Hannah Lebowitz, Joy Loeblein, Erika Nelson, Katelyn Storey, Anna Page and Sierra Davis rolled to lopsided wins as Salisbury, the defending state champion, started its postseason run with an 8-0 victory.
The Hornets (19-0) didn’t drop a game in 10 of 12 singles sets.
“I thought we had just a complete team performance today, from the top to bottom, one through six,” Salisbury coach Chris Myers said. “It was a great start to the second season.”
The 6-0, 6-0 wins came from Nelson (vs. Ashlyn Hartsoe at No. 3), Storey (vs. Taylor Houk at No. 4), Page (vs. Amanda Carpenter at No. 5) and Davis (vs. Gabby Godfrey at No. 6).
Lebowitz played Laura Baker at No. 1, and Loeblein faced Kelly Branton at No. 2. Those matches ended 6-0, 6-3.
Lebowitz won Midwest Regional singles titles in 2006 and 2007, then teamed with Kirstin Meyerhoeffer for a first-place doubles finish last year. Baker was the regional singles champion in 2008, and she reached the state semifinals.
“Laura’s a great player, so playing her gets me prepared for the playoffs with our team and for individuals this weekend. I enjoy having competition.”
West Lincoln (12-4) agreed to play a portion of doubles, and Lebowitz-Page won 8-4 against Baker-Branton. Nelson-Storey prevailed 8-1 against Houk-Carpenter.
All six Hornets have qualified for this year’s regional, which will be held Friday and Saturday in Salisbury. Dual-team action resumes next week, and the Hornets will either play host to West Stanly or visit Wheatmore in Trinity.
The first-round match provided Storey and Page, freshmen playing behind returning starters from the 2008 title team, with a new experience.
“I’ve been told about how big it is and how fun it is,” Storey said. “I’ve learned it’s really exciting and it’s really a great honor to get a banner up there if you win.
“It gives you a lot of pressure to get better, and it’s really helpful because it makes you more improved.”