CARY — East Surry’s dynamic sophomore duo of Tara Martin and Evelyn Ruedisueli finished as State Runners-up in the 1A Tennis State Doubles Championship.
The team of Martin and Ruedisueli went undefeated up until the State Championship Match. The duo went 6-0 as a team during the regular season, 3-0 in the Northwest 1A Conference Tournament, 4-0 in the West Regional Finals and 2-1 in the State Tournament.
The Lady Cardinals defeated Raleigh Charter’s Krisha Avula and Samantha Levine 6-2, 6-2 in the state quarterfinals, then bested Franklin Academy’s Anisah Sison and Abby Armistead, the defending 1A State Doubles Champions, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 in the semifinals.
Mount Airy’s Ella Brant and Olivia Perkins also competed in the State Championship Tournament, falling to Sison and Armistead 6-4, 0-6, 1-6 in the quarterfinals.
Martin and Ruedisueli met Research Triangle’s Sabrina Grewal and Olivia Hankinson in the Championship match. Grewal and Hankinson beat East Wilkes’ Sylvia Prevette and Tristen Blevins 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, then defeated Pine Lake Prep’s Sophia Taffet and Syria Mannepalli 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.
The Research Triangle team won the state title over Martin and Ruedisueli 6-1, 6-2.
Martin and Ruedisueli are just the second doubles team in East Surry history to reach the State Championship Match. Martin’s older sister Abigail partnered with Sarah Mann to finish second in the 2018 State Tournament.
Mann and Tara Martin teamed together in the 2019 State Tournament, but lost in the semifinals.
Martin and Ruedisueli are the seventh Surry County doubles team to reach the Doubles Championship since 2009.
Mount Airy had doubles teams finish as State Runner-up in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and Elkin had teams finish second in both 2015 and 2016.
North Surry, Surry Central and Millennium Charter Academy have never competed in a doubles state championship.
The only Surry County duo to win a doubles championship was Mount Airy’s Christie Sanders and Keri Whitehead, who won three straight 1A/2A titles from 1987-1989.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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