FHS senior finishes in top two at regional, falls at state
Published 2:58 pm Thursday, June 25, 2015
RADFORD
Brianna Karmilovich of Franklin High School finished second in the Region 1A East girls singles tennis tournament two weeks ago, which earned the senior a spot in the Group 1A State Tournament at Radford University.
She faced off against Samantha Brooks of Radford High School this past Thursday. Brooks, the 1A West winner, was her school’s No. 1. Karmilovich, also her school’s ace, was unable to pick up the win, as Brooks took the match 6-0, 6-1.
Brianna Karmilovich looks to return a volley in a match earlier this season. The school’s No. 1 player made it all the way to the semifinals of the VHSL 1A State Tournament in tennis. — Frank Davis | Tidewater News
“She had all the skills and could hit with Brooks, but she didn’t have the experience or the consistency to win at the state level,” said Franklin Head Coach Calvin Sing. “However, this was only Brianna’s second year playing tennis, so she really did quite well to reach the state tournament.”
And Franklin High’s valedictorian was competing against a solid opponent, as Brooks went on to defeat Morgan Johnson of Mathews High School in the finals 6-3, 6-1, ultimately winning the state’s crown.
In the regionals, Karmilovich defeated Marisol Lujan of Middlesex High School 6-4, 6-3 in the first round, then went up against Karli Winston of Altavista High School. In a three-set nail biter, she defeated Winston 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) to advance to the finals to face the soon-to-be state-runner-up, Morgan Johnson of Mathews.
While Kamilovich was hitting though the bottom half of the bracket, Johnson was working her way through the top half of the bracket, defeating Angela Head of Northampton in a 4 hour 10 minute three-set marathon, and then she went on to defeat Lori Gagnon of Rappahannock in three sets.
In the finals, Sing said Johnson was the more consistent player and defeated Karmilovich 6-2, 6-1 to win the Region 1A East singles title. The top two from each regional made the state tennis tournament.
Due to inclement weather, the regional tournament was moved indoors to the James L. Camp Jr. YMCA. Franklin High School and Sing expressed appreciation to the management and staff of The Y for allowing the school the use of its facilities.