Lucy Barr, CCC champ in 2023

 

Lucy Barr

 

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As a freshman tennis hopeful, Lucy Barr was No. 7 for the Salisbury Hornets in a sport where only six get to play.

That disappointment could have broken her, could have made her quit the sport or find a new school. Instead that humbling freshman year made her who she is as a Salisbury senior — the Post’s Rowan County Player of the Year and one of the best in the state in 2A.

“That freshman year was hard because I had always played and had success, and for a while, I was getting down on myself,” Barr said. “But I know now that freshman year was important. It taught me so much. I learned how to be a good teammate. I learned how to cheer for my teammates and to be happy when they were successful. I learned to be part of a team.”

Learning that the team is more important than the individuals is a lesson that some learn late in life and some never learn at all. Barr learned it early. It’s helped her become not only an outstanding player but the leader of a team that has an incredible tradition in the sport. Salisbury has lost only one Central Carolina Conference match since 2002.

Barr’s mother, Gwin Carter Barr, was a part of that tradition as one of the standouts for the program’s first NCHSAA champions in 1985.

Lucy had golf clubs and tennis rackets in her hands almost from the time she was old enough to walk. Her older brother, Charlie, got the golf gene. He is a successful Division I golfer at High Point University and has played in the U.S. Amateur.

“But I always gravitated more to tennis,” Lucy said. “I truly loved it.”

She worked seriously on her game and jumped into the Salisbury lineup at No. 4 as a sophomore. That was the year she won a three-hour marathon match and developed a reputation as a competitor who would fight to the last point.

“My thing is to stick in a tough match until I find a way to pull it through,” Barr said. “Sometimes it doesn’t come down to who has the best strokes. Having all the strokes is great, but tennis is a game more than anything of mental strength. I believe that’s why love it. I usually find a way to win.”

As a junior, Barr moved up to No. 2 singles for the Hornets, with Rowan County Player of the Year Millie Wymbs playing No. 1.  Playing 2 was a lot more challenging than 4 had been, especially in the big non-conference matches, but Barr usually prevailed. She won some individual singles championships, was a state quarterfinalist and made all-region teams.

Barr, who was moving up to No. 1 for the first time as a senior, and the Hornets got the news over the summer that Cora Wymbs, one of the team standouts, was transferring to the North Carolina School of Science & Math in Durham. That changed life for the Hornets. It meant two freshmen were going to be at the back end of the starting lineup.

“Cora was an amazing player and a great teammate, so I was sad that she was leaving,” Barr said. “As far as our team, it meant more responsibility for me as far as trying to help and guide our freshmen. Their success was as important to me as my own matches at No 1 singles and doubles. Those freshmen (Anna Kate Goodman and Gabriella Fatovic) did great things and we had another exciting season. We had great support from the community. The Leonard family was there for every single home match.”

Barr was 15-1 in singles as an All-State senior. She and partner Meredith Williams won conference and regional doubles championships and reached the 2A state semifinals.

Barr’s  lone loss was against a strong player from 4A Cox Mill.

“I got frustrated in that match and it’s easy to give up points when you get frustrated,” Barr said. “I learned from it. I didn’t let it happen again.”

Barr’s last match as the leader of Salisbury’s team was the  5-3 third-round loss at Hendersonville in late October.

“We were all nervous, but the girls fought for it,” Barr said. “It was one of those matches where every point counted, and we pulled through in some close matches.”

In a “rebuilding” season Salisbury was 14-2 and won its 22nd straight CCC championship. Among other accolades, Barr was a Rowan-Salisbury School System Female Athlete of the Month.

“It was quite a season for our girls, especially with two freshmen starters and only seven on the team,” Salisbury coach Milt Griffith said. “A lot of people counted them out, but they did very well. Lucy was a huge part of that. Not only stepping up and winning her matches, but picking up everyone else, helping her teammates be the best that they could be. She’s a very different Lucy now than the one we saw when she was as a freshman and sophomore. She’s matured and she’s a natural leader.”

High school tennis probably will be Barr’s last hurrah in the sport.

She hasn’t made a college decision yet, but that’s going to be a choice based on academics, not a tennis program. She’s planning a career as a physician’s assistant.

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In addition to Barr and Williams,  Salisbury’s had a second doubles team — Addie Griffith/Lola Koontz qualify for the state tournament.

Coming back from a torn ACL that wiped out her junior year, Carson’s Allie Martin was a fourth-place regional finisher and a state qualifier.

South Rowan’s Bella Caraccio and the doubles team of Olivia Maynor/Sophie Steedley qualified for the regional. West Rowan’s doubles team of Autumn Yount/Emma Crider also qualified for the regional.

All the Hornet starters compiled great records. They all made all-county.

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All-Rowan County tennis

Salisbury — Lucy Barr, Meredith Williams. Addie Griffith, Lola Koontz, Anna Kate Goodman, Gabriella Fatovic

West Rowan — Autumn Yount, Emma Crider, Olyvia Brown, Lucy Moore

South Rowan — Bella Caraccio, Sophie Steedley, Olivia Maynor

Carson — Allie Martin, Maggie Cooper

East Rowan — Jaylen Jones

North Rowan — Olivia Neely

Player of the Year — Lucy Barr

Coach of the Year — Milton Griffith, Salisbury