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Season Recap: Girls Tennis

The 2023 Lady Indians blasted into uncharted territory with a young yet talented group under first-year head coach Anthony Cox. Simply put, TFS dominated opposition while advancing further than any other squad in team history.

The Lady Indians completed a 16-1 season that culminated in hosting the Elite 8. Though the girls lost to Bleckley County in the state quarterfinals, Tallulah Falls ended as a top-10 ranked team for the first time, and secured the team's first Region Championship since 2000. That marked a 22-year gap between titles.

The girls' 16 wins bested the previous record of 10 set just two years ago. The Lady Indians have now played in the state tournament in three straight seasons, but had yet to advance past the first round. That changed this year, when the girls defeated Armuchee in the opening round, and quickly got past Galloway in the Sweet 16.

Throughout the year, the girls were met with little resistance. After a slim 3-2 win in the season-opener against Elbert County, the Lady Indians rolled to 16 straight wins. The next eight matches were 5-0 wins before a 4-1 win over Jefferson in late March. No other match, save that first and last one, did a team win two lines against TFS. In the region tournament, the girls easily won over Rabun County to claim the title.

Junior 1-singles phenom Ariel Kelsick lost only her last match of the season, going 15-1 overall. Freshman Jaeda-Lee Daniel-Joseph was 16-0 at 2-singles, and Ava Carnes won eight matches at 3-singles. Daniel-Joseph and Kelsick both surpassed Evette Corwin's ('22) program single-season wins mark of 11, as Daniel-Joseph now holds the top spot.

At doubles, the combo of junior Katarina Foskey and freshman Azaria Junaid won nine matches, while senior Cassidy Hayes and sophomore Landry Carnes had seven wins. Hayes finished her career with 27 doubles wins, making her second all-time in combined singles/doubles wins.

Kelsick was named Region 8-A DI Singles Player of the Year, and Foskey and Junaid were named Doubles Team of the Year. Daniel-Joseph earned 1st Team All-Region status as well.

Hayes was the lone senior in the regular lineup, meaning nearly all of the lineup will return next season. Several others such as freshmen Keira Webb and Charlotte Stafford (four wins at doubles), and some talented middle schoolers moving up, will continue to push the program forward.