Published: Oct 19, 2011 11:35 PM
Modified: Oct 20, 2011 02:30 AM
CARY - The courts that Green Hope's girls tennis team play on this season allow coach Beth Hedgepeth to stand in a middle walkway and view all six singles matches, with three on each side.
No matter which side she watched on Wednesday, she saw her Falcons players winning points at a rapid rate.
All six Green Hope singles players won in straight sets, clinching the match with a 6-0 victory against Enloe in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.
"The girls deserve to be where they are this season," Hedgepeth said. "It's nice to sweep and feel confident going into round two."
The first match to be completed was on court No. 1, where Audrey Channell downed Roja Garimela 6-1, 6-0.
Not long afterward, Green Hope picked up a win at No. 6 singles where Brantley Belk defeated Emilie Kadhim 6-1, 6-2.
Amelia Channell -- Audrey's twin sister -- downed Rebecca Liu 6-2, 6-1 and Jurasia Horvat defeated Anna Xu 6-2, 6-1. Priyanka Srinivas clinched the match by defeating Rachell Xu -- Anna's twin sister -- 6-3, 6-0.
The last winner on the day was the Falcons' only senior, Helen Wang. Wang, who has been a part of four straight conference championship teams, defeated Elizabeth Sigarto 6-3, 6-1.
Because Green Hope ended the regular season with three straight road matches, the Falcons treated the playoff match as Wang's senior day, displaying posters before the match and providing pastries afterward.
"It was our last guaranteed home match, so we had to do something special for her," Audrey Channell said.
The Falcons will host Fayetteville's Jack Britt High in next Tuesday's second round.
Enloe, which ended its year at 13-4 overall, has high hopes for the future. Four of the Eagles' six singles players on Tuesday were freshmen. Enloe started five freshmen for most of the season.
"I was really pleased with how the girls performed," said Enloe coach Brei Buzek. "We've got a very young team, a very talented team. I'm very excited to see what the next couple of years bring for us."
Panther Creek also advances: Panther Creek defeated Clayton 6-0, and the Catamounts will play at Wilmington Hoggard next week.