The Middlesboro High School tennis team was in action Thursday night against South Laurel. A strong South Laurel team proved too much for Middlesboro’s boys’ team. The Jackets dropped the overall match by a 1-8 margin. Middlesboro’s lone win came in singles action when Eric Francis turned in an impressive 9-7 win over South Laurel’s Chris Harris.

Middlesboro’s girls found themselves in a battle the entire evening. Seniors Robyn Kaw and Rhyan Martin grasped big wins for the Jackets. Kaw took South’s Emily Turner to the limit with a three set score of 1-6 6-2 6-0. Martin turned in an impressive performance over Kristi Murphy, winning 6-3 6-2.

With a loss in the third singles match, Middlesboro needed at least one win in double’s play to secure an overall victory. Middlesboro’s Trinity Goodman and Rachel Maiden had a tough loss against Lyndsay Collette and Neha Rao with a score of 7-5 6-4. Middlesboro was leading the final match, with Ashley Mason and Maggie Knuckles leading Kaylan Collette Adriana Turner of South Laurel by a score of 7-6 2-1 when the match was suspended due to darkness.

Next week starts Regional Tournament play for the Jackets at Corbin High School.