Story and photos
by Mike Maddock

AC Flora's Bryant Lambert runs down an attempted drop shot from Myrtle Beach's Heinz Gildemeister. Lambert won his match 6-0, 6-3 and finished the season with a 12-1 record. He will play in the state singles tournament this weekend. The AC Flora Falcons and the Myrtle Beach Seahawks have combined to win six out of the last seven Class 3A high school tennis state championships. So it was only fitting these two teams battle for this year's title.

On Saturday May 6, 2006, the Falcons and the Seahawks faced off at Parklane Tennis Center. The Falcons are the two-time defending state champions with a three-year record of 51-2, but this day marked the Seahawks return to prominence. Myrtle Beach prevailed 5-1, but the balls could definitely have bounced differently.

Flora senior Bryant Lambert won his match against Heinz Gildemeister quickly 6-0, 6-3 from the No. 3 singles spot. The Seahawks' Ross Moyer, playing No. 1 singles, then defeated Luke Whiteside 6-0, 6-1. After that it got close.

The AC Flora doubles team of senior John Hobbs and Richard Bunch took the first set from Charles Power and William Rendon 6-1, but lost the second 2-6, and found themselves down 0-3 in the tiebreaker.

AC Flora's Luke Whiteside returns a serve from Myrtle Beach's Ross Moyer. Moyer won the match 6-0, 6-1. Whiteside finished with an 8-5 record and will play in the state singles tournament this weekend. They battled back to even the score at 5-5 after a beautiful Hobbs' lob and service winners from both Hobbs and Bunch.

Hobbs and Bunch went up 8-6 after two unforced Myrtle Beach errors. Myrtle Beach then won the next three points. Hobbs would give Flora a 10-9 lead with a service winner and two great volleys, but that would be it. Myrtle Beach took the next three points off a great volley, an overhead slam, and an AC Flora double fault to win 12-10. Hobbs and Bunch finished the season with an 8-1 record.

Flora senior Yuri Veytskin and Seahawk Elliott Smith then battled in the No. 5 singles spot which turned out to be the decisive match. Veytskin appeared done after he lost the first set 1-6, but he fought back to win the second 6-4.

A.C. Flora senior Yuri Veytskin serves against Myrtle Beach's Elliott Smith. Smith won the match 6-1, 4-6, 13-11. Veytskin finished with a 13-1 record. Veytskin and Smith played to an 11-11 draw in the tiebreaker, neither ever falling behind by more than a point. Veytskin then hit a deep shot that just barely missed the baseline. Next Smith hit a baseline shot of his own which was too close for Veytskin to call out resulting in a 13-11 backbreaking loss for the Falcons.

Flora's No. 2 singles player, Nick Rowe, also lost in a tiebreaker, but the damage was already done from the double's and Veytskin's losses before Rowe completed his second set. Rowe finished with a 12-2 record.

Travis Muthig, playing No. 4 singles for AC Flora and battling Seahawk hecklers, lost in two close sets to Chip Cox 6-4, 6-3. Muthig finished with an 11-2 record.

Head Coach Joe Bailey said, "Flora has had a great run over the last five years and I feel very privileged to be a part of it. It has been a great experience that hopefully we can carry into the future."

The future is bright for AC Flora. Luke Whiteside, Nick Rowe, Travis Muthig, and Richard Bunch all return next year.

Luke Whiteside and Bryant Lambert will now turn their attention to individual titles in the 4A-3A singles tournament May 12 and 13.

Match Results

Myrtle Beach 5, A.C. Flora 1

Singles: Ross Moyer (MB) d. Luke Whiteside 6-0, 6-1; John Hairston (MB) d. Nick Rowe (ACF) 4-6, 7-6, 10-3; Bryant Lambert (ACF) d. Heinz Gildemeister 6-0, 6-3; Chip Cox (MB) d. Travis Muthig (ACF) 6-4, 6-3; Elliott Smith (MB) d. Yuri Veytskin (ACF) 6-1, 4-6, 13-11.

Doubles: Charles Power and William Rendon (MB) d. John Hobbs and Richard Bunch (ACF) 1-6, 6-2, 12-10.