Though Woodland received a test from the Lady Bulldogs, it didn’t allow its fight to wane, taking three of five matches in a 3-2 win.
“They actually played with some heart today, especially my line 1 and line 2 singles players,” Heath said. “We didn’t quit today. We actually came to play today, so I was very proud of my girls.”
Erin Marratta, the Lady ’Cats No. 1 singles player, trailed 0-5 in the first set of her match with Valerie DeWandel, but rallied back to take the set in a tiebreaker, 7-6. DeWandel won the second set, 2-6, and also captured the third set, 4-6, for the win.
Woodland No. 2 singles player Veronica Munsey earned a win in her match against Kasy Gibson — winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 — and No. 3 singles player Tinsley Wiley was credited with a win after Cedartown forfeited, giving the Lady ’Cats two out of three victories in singles’ action.
The two teams split their doubles’ matches, with the Lady Bulldogs’ Abigail Kaiser and Jenna Conner defeating Susy Beltran and Madison Cowart 1-6, 0-6, and Woodland’s Erin Hill and Bailee Smith winning 6-2, 6-3 over Savannah Couey and Brooke Flowers.
“They played smart tennis,” Heath said of Hill and Smith. “They hit the corners today. They threw the lobs up when they had to.”
The Lady ’Cats had been scheduled to play in the Colonels Invitational, but scrambled to find a match Saturday, Heath said, because all of her players were ready to play.
It showed, with Woodland (2-8, 0-1 Region 7A-AAAA) tasting victory for the second time this season, and for the first time since a Feb. 23 win against Forsyth Central in a crossover sub-region matchup.
With a pair of sub-region matches on the horizon, Heath knows the next several days will say plenty of her team.
“The next week will tell it all because it’s all region matches,” she added of Tuesday’s home match against Sequoyah and Thursday’s road match with Cass, which will be held at Hamilton Crossing Park. “It’s gonna be tough. … If they play like they did today, I think we’re gonna be OK.
“When they get behind, they gotta keep playing.”
Woodland falls 3-0 in soccer
Woodland was held scoreless by region soccer power Chattahoochee as the Lady Wildcats dropped to below .500 on their season.
The Bartow County school, now 5-6 overall, dropped to 1-5 in Region 7-AAAA while losing 3-0 to the Lady Cougars, who are 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the region.
Chattahoochee got on the scoreboard twice in the first half Friday to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Chattahoochee then scored on a penalty kick to conclude its scoring in the 65th minute.
“I was real proud of the girls’ effort,” Woodland head coach Kyle Morgan said. “We played an experienced, skilled and physical team and competed the entire match.
“We faced some adversity in the match and handled it in a manner that will only benefit us as we move forward this season.”
Woodland plays again Tuesday when it visits Northwest Whitfield. The teams square off at 5:30 p.m.