Under the direction of first-year head coach Jorge Perez-Cisneros, a U.S. Marine Reservist, Assistant Coach Peter Townes, the North Atlanta High girls’ tennis team has had its most successful season in almost a decade. The No. 4 seed from Region 5 has worked extremely hard to make it all the way the quarterfinal round of the Class AAA girls’ state tournament, after defeating second-seed from Region 8, Gainesville, 3-2 last Thursday. This is the farthest any girls’ tennis team has advanced in school history and is trying to become the first Atlanta public school to win a girls state tennis championship.
“They are hungry to win State,” said Perez-Cisneros.
According to Perez-Cisneros, Townes is the go-to guy for the tennis knowledge. Perez-Cisneros has committed himself to bring the dedication and discipline that it takes to be a successful unit. After a very new and successful season (which hasn’t ended yet), both coaches are going to lay down a long-term foundation for future teams. Which, according to Perez-Cisneros, will begin by being more disciplined and instilling a guide for the future teams to rely on.
The girls’ team is a relatively young group, according to Perez-Cisneros. The core of the group is the 1, 2 and 3 singles spot. In No. 1 singles is freshman Sofia Kurtz, who according to Perez-Cisneros, has “a long and promising career ahead of her.” In the No. 2 singles spot is senior Ariana Abayomi, who will be playing at the collegiate level at Oberlin College in Ohio. And in the No. 3 spot is junior Allie Bailey.
The Warriors region is the most competitive region in all of Class AAA, according to Perez-Cisneros. Region 5 is stacked with two of its teams currently ranked top 10 in the state. The girls’ squad will be the underdog in a rematch with its region foe, St. Pius X, currently ranked No. 2 in the state, in the quarterfinal round. According to Perez-Cisneros, if North Atlanta can defeat St. Pius X, the state title becomes a real possibility.
Loading ...
