2008 May-24
Fourth time the charm for Gillis in doubles
By Brian Meadows
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
That elusive doubles state championship didn’t give Statesville’s Luke Gillis the slip this year.
Gillis, a senior, teamed with junior Tripp Hawkins to win the 3A state title last weekend in Burlington.
No more near misses.
“Every year he’s gotten better,” Statesville coach Mike Williams said.
Gillis qualified for the state tournament all four years of his Greyhounds career. As a freshman, Gillis reached the quarterfinals. He advanced to the semifinals as a sophomore and lost in the final last season.
Remarkably, Hawkins was his third playing partner in four years. Gillis played alongside Thomas Gaither as a freshman and Thomas Fanjoy the previous two seasons.
Gillis’ strong forehand shot coupled with Hawkins’ crafty backhand led to a 14-2 doubles record that also included the West Regional title. The duo outlasted Southeast Guilford’s Evan Hurley and Michael Sandman 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the state final.
“They were just kind of low-key, and they encouraged each other,” Williams said. “There wasn’t that added pressure of ‘Hey, if I mess this shot up my partner is going to hate me.’ ”
Bookmarkz
(0) Comments •
Permalink
Comments
Page 1 of 1 pages
You must be logged in to post comments. Please Log in or register.