BROOKSVILLE – The final point and team victory secure, Grace Curren and Maddie Pickersgill collapsed into one another’s arms, an embrace of both supreme relief, celebration and ultimately some sadness.
For the two Hernando seniors, Thursday’s Class 2A, Region IV girls tennis final represented their final time playing for the Lady Leopards at the Brooksville City Courts.
With a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 1 doubles over Crystal River’s Maddie Lewis and Shannon Hancock, Curren and Pickersgill clinched Hernando’s 5-2 victory over the Lady Pirates and a second straight regional crown.
“We started as little kids together, so we got to end it,” said Curren, fighting back tears in the emotional moments after the match. “Now we get to bring everybody (to states). So that means a lot. Now we can support everybody, and they can support us.
“It’s just a lot of relief that came off my shoulders. All the pressure went away. My body relaxed and emotions came out all of a sudden.”
“Just wow. I can’t believe this is the last time we’re going to be playing here,” Pickersgill said. “It’s a privilege playing with Grace.”
That Curren and Pickersgill pairing, now 18-0, already had a trip to states next week secured after winning a district title last week. By virtue of the team’s triumph, all of the Lady Leopards (14-0) will have a chance to compete.
“Going to states is a big opportunity and hopefully we’ll go far,” Curren said.
On the high school level, Curren and Pickersgill only had a chance to team up this year after Pickersgill transferred from Nature Coast. Yet they had familiarity with one another both on and off the court, having played together until the age of 9.
That history helped tremendously as the two found themselves working in tandem once more.
“We butted heads. But we love each other,” Curren said. “It’s like best friends, and we brought that on the court. So we’re going to fight, and then we’re going to make up and figure out what we have to do right.”
“I love playing with Grace, and we do butt heads quite often,” Pickersgill said. “Like I did today. She was mad at me, so I just walked back and told her I loved her. She was like, ‘OK.’”
Having them both at the top of the lineup has provided Hernando with a tremendous 1-2 punch. Aside from their doubles success, they’re both 15-1 in singles action.
“Both of these girls are dominating on their own, and I just think the two of them together definitely were a force to reckon with. I look forward to seeing what they do next week, I really do. As a doubles, they’re solid,” Hernando head coach Teri Sellers said. “I think they should make it through a few rounds of states. They can play with the best of them. So we’ll see what happens.”
Each had a difficult singles match against the Lady Pirates, as Curren was pushed by freshman Maddie Lewis at No. 1 before pulling out a three-set win, 6-3, 4-6, 10-7.
Pickersgill, unbeaten coming in, also went to a third set against Olivia Parker at No. 2 but did not fare as well, losing 6-4, 1-6, 10-7. She had beaten Parker twice previously this season, including in the district final.
“Winning doubles brings me up a lot, and I’m glad we did win,” Pickersgill said. “The loss was kind of hard. But winning (doubles) was great, especially with Grace.”
The situation was similar to last week, when Curren was stunned by Central’s Vanessa Valencia in the singles finals but rallied to combine with Pickersgill for the doubles crown.
“I said that last week to Maddie, I said, “Maddie you’re going to have to be here for Grace. You’ve got to be the strong one of the team,’” Sellers said. “I said to Grace today, ‘You’re going to have to be there for Madeline. She needs that backbone to keep her going.’ And you know what, it worked. I could see when they went out there, they were ready to get this done.
“It is pressure. People remind you of your undefeated records, people remind of you of this and that. You feel like you’re succeeding, but you want the next win. So I’m happy for them.”
They’ll face that pressure at least one more time at the FHSAA Finals, the last event of their prep careers.
“We’re going to go far,” Pickersgill said. “Cause everyone who watches us, they always tell us that we’re going to do good. So hopefully we will.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.