ORLANDO — Rosey Lowder and Sihara Padrino found themselves on the wrong end of match point, down 9-6 during a tiebreaker in their No. 2 doubles match on Monday at Red Bug Lake Park.
It was only the Class 2A state semifinals and Lemon Bay was in need of every victory they could get against the Academy of the Holy Names.
No pressure.
No, really … no pressure.
“I remember the district final my freshman year, being down and coming back, 13-11,” said Lowder, now a senior team captain for the Mantas. “It can definitely be nerve-wracking because one mistake and it’s over, and you’ve been fighting the entire match.
“But it doesn’t get to me as much, anymore,” Lowder continued. “I know that when it’s their match point, they’re probably more nervous than we are. So that’s the way I look at it.”
Lowder and Padrino roared back, knotting the tiebreaker at 9-9, eventually pulling out the victory, 5-3, 2-4, 1-0 (13-11).
“That’s one smart kid,” Lemon Bay coach Darrell Roach said regard Lowder’s mindset. “She has learned a lot. She’s really going to be very hard to replace next year.”
Next year started later Monday afternoon as Academy of the Holy Names ended the Mantas’ season with a 4-2 verdict. Padrino picked up Lemon Bay’s other match victory, knocking off the Jaguars’ Carolina Ward, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 4 singles.
It was Lowder’s No. 3 singles match that wound up being the deciding duel. Facing Caroline Carr, one half of the doubles team Lowder and Padrino had just defeated, Lowder dropped the first set, 6-2. She stormed back to take the second set, 6-2, and force yet another tiebreak.
This time, however, Carr prevailed, 10-6.
So ended Lemon Bay’s first team trip back to States since 2017, but in the big picture, the Mantas’ success as a program has been impressive. By knocking off Aubrey Rogers last week, the Mantas earned their ninth regional title since 2010.
“That match went beautifully,” Roach said of the regional final against Aubrey Rogers. “I mean, we started with singles and we didn’t even need them. We won the first four and that ended it, but even the fifth match, Sihara’s was 6-4, 5-0, so we were going to beat them in all five.
“They played as good as they could play and I knew coming into this, that if we played like that, we could certainly beat anybody.”
Tiebreakers, however, can be the ultimate equalizer, neutralizing talent with a few bad breaks.
“Whenever you go into tiebreaks, it’s anybody’s game,” Roach said. “It’s a crapshoot.”
This week marked Lowder’s second trip to States. The first time around, she reached the championships as a member of a doubles team and played in that bracket. This was her first trip with a team, and it’s a memory she will cherish as she heads to the University of Florida next fall.
“It’s super exciting and I wouldn’t want it to be with any other team,” she said. “I think we have a great group of girls this year and this was our time to go to States.
“And I’m excited for next year, too,” Lowder added. “I’m excited to see what they do because they’re all so strong. I think it will definitely continue.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0