AC Flora Wins Third Chick-fil-A of Anderson Hall of Fame Classic
Ruby Cecchini from AC Flora in match play. She would go on to win the #4 Singles Champion.
39th Chick-fil-A of Anderson Hall of Fame Classic
Staff Reports
Belton, SC - The 2025 Chick-fil-A of Anderson Hall of Fame Classic was played in Belton September 27 & 28 featuring eight top girls tennis teams from around the state. The tournament faced weather challenges on Saturday, and play was eventually cancelled. With a revised schedule and scoring, the tournament resumed and all matches (except #1 Doubles) were played on Sunday.
AC Flora pulled away in the final round, winning 3 championship and 3 consolation matches to win their third tournament title. TL Hanna had a 1-point lead after 2 rounds of play, but the Falcons won all 6 of their final round matches, while the Yellow Jackets only won 2, to pull away with a 5-point victory. The finals team standings were:
1. AC Flora-25 points
2. TL Hanna-20 points
3. Greenville-18 points
4. Daniel-15 points
5. JL Mann-14 points
6. Waccamaw-12 points
7. Chapin and BHP-5 points
The division titles were won by 3 schools; AC Flora 3, Greenville 2 and TL Hanna 1. The results of the championships matches were:
· #1 Singles-Emily Smith (ACF) def. Emery Tripamer (TLH) 6-3, 7-6 (6)
· #2 Singles-Catherine Smith (ACF) def. Josie Eskridge (TLH) 6-1, 6-0
· #3 Singles-Mary Drake Venturella (TLH) def. Halie Woilin (DAN) 6-1, 6-2
· #4 Singles-Ruby Cecchini (ACF) def. Addie Johnson (JLM) 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
· #5 Singles-Rollins Beck (GVL) def. Alera Holland (JLM) 6-4, 5-7, 10-8
· #2 Doubles-Riley Brill & Charlotte Womack (GVL)
defeated Karis Kim & Emry Smith (TLH) 3-6, 6-4, 10-7
All players and doubles teams played 3 matches. Number 1 Doubles was not played after the Saturday matches were cancelled.
AC Flora coach Amy Martin said: “We’re very pleasantly surprised! It took the leadership of our 3 captains, a great effort by all the players, and the support of the parents to earn this title. Nobody ever gave up, as evidenced by us winning all 6 of our final round matches, including 3 matches in the consolation round. Everybody contributed against tough competition.”
TL Hanna received the Team Sportsmanship Award.
Tournament Director Rex Maynard, who established the tournament in 1987, said: “I felt this would be a really competitive tournament, and it turned out that way. There were close matches throughout the early rounds, many matches went to a tiebreaker to determine the winner. Then 3 of the 6 championships matches were decided by a 10-point tiebreaker after the players split sets.”
When asked about the tournament outcome and the challenges the weather presented, Maynard commented, “We faced some weather challenges on Saturday, and eventually thought it best to cancel the day. Thanks to a change in the scoring format, we were able to play everything except #1 Doubles on Sunday.” He added, “All the players and coaches helped by being on time for their matches and that helped us moved through the day. We feel like it was another great tournament and thank all the coaches and players for their participation. A special thanks to our staff, and to Chick-fil-A of Anderson for their continued support of this tournament and Belton Tennis!”
