Staff report

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s girls tennis team won the 2A Midwest Regional held on Friday and Saturday.

Salisbury was the host team. Team scoring was based on a points system.

The top four singles finishers and top four doubles teams advanced to the 1A/2A state tournament that will be held in Cary on June 25-26.

The Salisbury girls, coached by Milton Griffith, had five players competing, and all five advanced.

The SHS doubles team of Lillie Rusher/Meredith Burton won the regional championship.  They won in the first round 6-2, 6-1 against the West Wilkes team of Kendall Stanley/Paige Phillips. They won 6-0, 6-0 in the second round against the Ledford team of Jada Welch/Mila Riggsbee.

In the semifinals, Rusher/Burton won 6-1, 6-0 against Forbush’s Megan Smith/Elei Ayers.

In the regional championship match, Rusher/Burton won 6-2, 6-2 against teammates Millie Wymbs/Abby Campion, who had beaten Rusher/Burton in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament finals.

“Lillie and Meredith are seniors and they were very determined today,” Griffith said. “They want to go out with a bang.”

The Wymbs/Campion team won against a Forbush duo in the first round and took a close match against a Central Davidson team in the second round. They beat Oak Grove’s Marlie Stephenson/Chloe Bethea in a tight match in the semifinals.

Stephenson/Bethea took third place. Forbush’s team of Smith/Ayers placed fourth.

Salisbury’s Abbey Lawson competed in singles. She won her first two matches and advanced to the state tournament with a fourth-place finish.

Oak Grove’s Jessica Fuchs won the regional singles championship. Ashe County’s Elizabeth Wallace was runner-up. The third-place finisher was Mount Pleasant’s Lucy Bovard.