Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills Athletics.
The Vestavia Hills High School boys tennis team won the Class 7A state championship for the fifth straight year, while the girls finished as the state runner-up in April.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Vestavia Hills boys tennis team earned the Class 7A state championship.
The Rebels claimed their 11th AHSAA title overall at the Mobile Tennis Center in April, finishing with 35 points to hold off Hoover and Montgomery Academy, who tied for second with 29 points each.
It was another wire-to-wire performance for a Vestavia program that has made the top of the podium feel routine, but the depth of this year's run made it anything but ordinary.
Senior Andrew Pipkin anchored the effort with one of the most complete performances of the tournament. After winning the No. 2 singles title last season, Pipkin moved up to No. 1 and delivered again, beating St. Paul's sophomore Thomas Brutkiewicz 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match. He had navigated a clean path through the bracket, winning his opening-round match 6-0, 6-0 before topping Bob Jones' Cam Watson in the semifinals. Pipkin then paired with junior John Brooks Harris to win the No. 2 doubles title in a tense match, rallying past Hoover's Shiv Jaikumar and Matthew Hwangpo 2-6, 7-6(6), 13-11 in the semis before beating Bob Jones' Srikar Kaki and Joseph Park 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
Junior Austin Hood added the No. 2 singles championship, beating Auburn's Camden Coburn 6-2, 6-1 in the final after a three-set semifinal win over St. Paul's Anders Trice. Hood and sophomore Alex Nelson also paired together in doubles, winning their opening match before being eliminated in the second round.
Freshman Jackson Glenn competed at No. 4 singles, falling to Auburn's Jason Wang in a 16-14 tiebreak. Junior Hamp Holbert had one of the day's more competitive runs, reaching the No. 6 singles final before losing to Montgomery Academy's Blevins Henderson 7-6(3), 6-4. Glenn and Holbert also teamed in No. 3 doubles, winning their first-round match before falling in the semifinals.
Junior Ben Mitchell reached the No. 5 singles semifinals before being eliminated.
Vestavia finished six points clear of the field in a tournament where no lead was guaranteed. Hoover and Montgomery Academy both pushed hard, but the Rebels had enough firepower up and down the lineup to hold on.
The Vestavia Hills girls had the pieces for a state championship run and came up nine points short, finishing second in the Class 7A standings with 36 points behind champion Huntsville's 45.
The Lady Rebels were competitive throughout the bracket, putting players in singles finals across the lineup. Senior Anvitha Yaparla reached the No. 6 singles final, where she pushed Huntsville's Ali Meko to two tiebreaks before falling 7-6(2), 7-5. Freshman Clare Mitchell reached the No. 3 singles final before losing to Huntsville's Madison Letterle 6-2, 6-1.
Sophomore Camille Guthrie reached the No. 5 singles final, falling to Huntsville's Caroline Stapler 6-4, 6-2. Junior Kitty Watts won her opening match and reached the No. 1 singles semifinals before losing to Huntsville's Mazie MacGrotty in three sets. Sophomore Lucille Fuller reached the No. 2 singles semifinals. Sophomore Sophia Chen reached the No. 4 singles semifinals.
The doubles draw was kinder. Yaparla and Mitchell teamed to win the No. 3 doubles title, beating Huntsville's Stapler and Meko 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in the final after a tight three-set semifinal win over Auburn. Watts and junior Addison Peters reached the No. 2 doubles final before falling to St. Paul's Episcopal 7-6(5), 6-3. Fuller and Chen reached the No. 1 doubles semifinals before being eliminated.
Huntsville won four of six singles titles on the day, making the team gap difficult to close regardless of how the Rebels played. Vestavia finished nine points back, a reflection more of Huntsville's depth than any shortcoming from the Lady Rebels.
