The Darlington tennis team is on their way to the state playoffs. The girls’ team finished the regular season with a perfect 17-0 record, while the boys finished with a near-perfect record of 16-1. Recently both the boys’ and girls’ teams became region champions without losing a match, securing their spot in the state playoffs. 

“Our team has worked really hard to get to where we are, and hopefully we can continue the season for as long as possible,” senior Grant Sikes, a four-year varsity player, said. “We have all of the right pieces to the puzzle, now it is just time for us to put them where they are supposed to go. This team has the potential to make Darlington tennis history.”

Sikes recently signed to play for Roanoke College on April 13th and is excited to play for them next spring.

When asked about how he felt about becoming the number-one singles player, freshman Murray Ellington, has felt the pressure.

“There can definitely be a lot sometimes, but I feel like I can manage the pressure well in tight moments,” Ellington said. “Overall, I think we have a really good lineup, and it’s not just an individual sport. The whole team has to do their job for us to win, which we have done really well this year.”

The tennis team also gained two new coaches this year. Coach Alan Liow and Coach Jack Tunnell primarily helped with the junior varsity team.

“Both Coach Liow and Coach Tunnell helped me a lot this year and definitely made the practices more fun,” sophomore and junior varsity player Nixon Prior said. “I can’t wait to play with them again next year.”

When asked about his experience on the junior varsity team, junior and first-year tennis player Luke Mahoney said, “I had a lot of fun playing on JV, and it was very rewarding winning my matches.”