Mountain Brook Girls’ Tennis Team
Mountain Brook Boys’ Tennis TeamBy Rubin E. Grant
Heading into the AHSAA State Tennis Championships last week, Mountain Brook coach Susan Farlow liked the Spartans’ chances to continue their dominance, but she figured it wouldn’t be easy for her girls and boys.
“We have two strong teams with very good players, but there are a lot of other strong teams and players,” Farlow said.
But none were strong enough to take down the Spartans in the Class 6A tournament at the Mobile Tennis Center.
The Mountain Brook girls won every championship match to claim their 33rd crown overall with senior Pippa Roy winning her third consecutive No. 1 singles title.
Meanwhile, the Mountain Brook boys won five singles titles and swept the three doubles finals to win their 27th state tennis title.
“Our players played a lot of good matches,” Farlow said. “They seemed to win all the tough matches and tiebreakers. They played tough and were tough mentally.”
Roy rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Decatur’s Abby Glover in the finals.
“Pippa is full of ferocity,” Farlow said. “She’s such a strong competitor. She doesn’t like to lose and not just a match, but a point or a game.”
Roy joined an elite group of netters to win three AHSAA state titles at No. 1 singles. Only seven are currently listed with winning three consecutively and six have won four in a row. The last to accomplish the feat was Lily Holmes of Florence, who won three straight from 2015-2017.
Mountain Brook twins Annie and Mae Mae Lacey also captured singles titles. Annie Lacey won No. 2 singles, downing Lilly Kidder of McGill-Toolen Catholic 6-1, 6-0. Mae Mae Lacey won No. 5, routing Alexandra Salekin of Northridge 6-1, 6-0.
“They are outstanding and both have improved,” Farlow said. “Both have a lot of top spin on their shots.”
Sophomore Ann Royal Goodson battled through two tiebreakers to win No. 3 singles, defeating St. Paul’s Emme Clement 6-7 (2), 6-1, 10-6. Mary Neale Polk won No. 4, knocking off Decatur’s Vivi Blakely 6-3, 6-0. Senior Moire Dowling, playing for the first time in the lineup in the state tournament, defeated Northridge’s Mary Wade 6-3, 6-1 to win No. 6 singles.
In No. 1 doubles, Roy teamed with Annie Lacey to beat Glover and Anna Harbin of Decatur 6-1, 6-3 in the championship match.
Mae Mae Lacey and Ann Coleman won at No. 2 doubles, defeating Decatur’s Emma Tapscott and Viva Blakely 6-1, 6-1. Polk and Mary Jackson Darnall gave Mountain Brook the sweep, claiming No. 3 doubles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over St. Paul’s Pearce Graf and Amelia Rivers.
Mountain Brook finished with 84 points. Runner-up Decatur had 52, and St. Paul’s Episcopal totaled 36 to finish third.
The Spartans won their first AHSAA state girls tennis title in 1972. Mountain Brook has won the past six it participated in and nine of the past 12. The current streak includes winning the 7A championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the Class 6A titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The 2020 championships were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boys Triumph
The Mountain Brook boys No.1 singles and No. 1 doubles players had to wait three days to play their matches, but the Spartans already had clinched the title on Tuesday in Mobile when they finally took the court on Friday in Montgomery.
The matches were delayed because of match limitations and played at Montgomery’s Lagoon Park Tennis Center.
Mountain Brook’s No. 1 doubles team of Luke Schwefler and Max Gayden beat Trinity Presbyterian’s brother combination of James and Samuel Treadwell in a thrilling 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 match.
Schwefler then met Spanish Fort’s Goodwin Holley in the No. 1 singles championship match 45 minutes later with Holley claiming the title 6-1, 6-1. Schwefler had advanced to the finals with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-2 10-4 win over Trinity’s Timothy Hornsby.
Mountain Brook’s singles champions were Connor Jenkins at No. 2, defeating St. Paul’s Thomas Brutkiewics 6-4, 6-4; Thomas Austin at No. 3, defeating James Treadwell 6-2, 4-6, 10-4; Guy Mitchell at No. 4, defeating Hartselle’s Ben Carnes 6-2, 6-2; Max Gayden at No. 5, defeating Homewood’s Sam Housman 6-1, 6-0; and George Dumas at No. 6, defeating Spanish Fort’s Jacob Thom 6-2, 2-6, 10-7.
Capturing doubles titles for the Spartans were Logan Woodall and Jenkins at No. 2 (6-4, 6-0 over Spanish Fort’s Jake Miller/Maysun Marino) and the team of Austin and Mitchell at No. 3 (6-1, 6-1 over Trinity’s Trevor Wilson/Grant Speagle).
“Our boys are a really good group,” Farlow said. “Guy Mitchell was a new player for us. He’s an outstanding player and really solidified our team.”
The Spartans finished with 87 points. Homewood finished second with 49 and Trinity third with 46.
Mountain Brook’s boys claimed their first state title since 2017.
Although Farlow is the team’s coach, she said she can’t take the credit.
“We have a lot of good pros around who have worked with them and I have reaped the benefits,” Farlow said.
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