Times-News All-Area Girls Tennis: Pursley tops list as Girls Tennis Player of the Year

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
·4 min read
Hendersonville's No. 1 singles player Olivia Pursley returns a shot during the 2-A state quarterfinals against Shelby earlier this year at Jackson Park.
Hendersonville's No. 1 singles player Olivia Pursley returns a shot during the 2-A state quarterfinals against Shelby earlier this year at Jackson Park.

Hendersonville High's girls tennis team had another stellar season as it won the team 2-A state title for a third straight year, and this year, the team did it in dominating fashion.

The Bearcats' 2-A dual-team state championship win over Research Triangle was by a final score of 5-2, and it was the team's 47th straight dual-team win. The Bearcats haven't lost a dual-team tennis match since Oct. 29, 2018, when they lost in the third round of the playoffs to Maiden.

Leading the way the past few years was No. 1 singles player McCollough Perry, who graduated in the spring and now plays for UNC Greensboro. Taking over the top spot in singles this year was junior Olivia Pursley, and she proved she deserved that No. 1 spot as she made it all the way to the 2-A state semifinals.

She finished the year as the Mountain Foothills 7 Conference Co-Player of the Year and also earned all-state and all-region honors, finishing the year at 11-2 and a perfect 5-0 in doubles. She can add another award to her resume now, and she's been named the Times-News Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

She was one of five Bearcats to make the 2021 Fall Girls All-Area Tennis Team. Below are the other All-Area selections.

TIMES-NEWS ALL-AREA GIRLS TENNIS TEAM

Player of the Year: Olivia Pursley, Hendersonville junior

OTHER ALL-AREA TEAM SELECTIONS

Eliza Perry, Hendersonville sophomore: Perry teamed up with Ramsey Ross at doubles in the playoffs and the duo won the 2-A doubles state title. She played No. 2 singles and doubles this year and earned all-conference, all-region and all-state honors. She shared Co-Conference Player of the Year with her teammate, Olivia Pursley. She finished 15-1 in dual team singles (her only loss came in the state finals) and went 10-0 in doubles matches.

Lindsay Bull, Hendersonville senior: She is the daughter of Coach Chris Bull and was also a team captain this season. She earned all-conference, all-region and all-state honors and played No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles all season. She finished unbeaten in singles at 17-0 and was 8-0 in doubles in the regular season. She teamed with Ava Heffner in doubles in the playoffs and the duo's only loss was to teammates Eliza Perry and Ramsey Ross in the doubles state final match.

Ramsey Ross, Hendersonville sophomore: She played No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles all season for the undefeated Bearcats. She also earned all-conference, all-region and all-state honors and teamed with Eliza Perry to win the 2-A doubles state title. She finished the year undefeated in doubles (17-0) and also singles (11-0).

Ava Heffner, Hendersonville junior: After helping clinch the 2-A title with a big win, she was named the 2-A state championship MVP. She played No. 5 singles and No. 3 doubles all season long and earned all-conference, all-region and all-state honors. She finished the year undefeated in doubles (15-0) and singles (7-0) in dual-team play. She teamed with Lindsay Bull in doubles in the individual state championship and finished in the runner-up spot to Eliza Perry and Ramsey Ross.

Reese Redden, Hendersonville freshman: She played No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles and earned a spot on the all-conference team. She finished 12-3 in singles and was unbeaten in doubles at 8-0.

Tori Knight, West Henderson junior: A three-year starter, she played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for West all season and finished the year at 12-1 in singles and 12-0 in conference play. She earned all-conference and all-region honors. She finished in the runner-up spot in the Mountain 7 Conference in doubles with her partner, Catherine Jones.

Audrey Hood, West Henderson senior: A four-year starter, Hood earned all-conference honors after finishing runner-up in singles in the conference tournament. She played No. 2 singles and doubles and finished 9-3 overall in singles and 9-2 in the conference. She is a three-time regional qualifier and a three-time all-conference pick.

Catherine Jones, West Henderson junior: She played No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles all season and earned all-conference honors. She also qualified for regionals with her doubles partner, Tori Knight, and the duo ended up in second place in the Mountain 7 Conference tournament. Her singles record was 7-5 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Times-News All-Area Girls Tennis: Pursley tops list as Girls Tennis Player of the Year