BE girls’ tennis wins 20th state title

The Bishop England girls’ tennis team capped the 2015 season with a 4-3 victory over Christ Church in the Class AA-A state championship.
It gives the Bishops a state-best 20 state titles in the program’s illustrious history.
The common denominator?
It just might be coach Kristen Fleming Arnold. She earned four state championships as a player during her days as a student in the 1990s, and has also been instrumental in the program’s success as a coach. Saturday’s victory over the Cavaliers at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center was the Bishops’ fifth in a row – all during Fleming Arnold’s tenure.
Fleming Arnold is multi-talented, by the way. She also coaches the boys’ team which won a state title in May. And she is the mother of twins who have yet celebrated their first birthday.
“It’s a great team accomplishment,” Fleming Arnold said. “To win 20 state championships, including the last five in a row, is extremely impressive. The girls have something to celebrate, something to be proud of.”
Fleming Arnold said her most recent state championships – as a coach – are more memorable then the ones she earned as a player.
“As a player, obviously, I didn’t know I would come back as a coach,” Fleming Arnold said “To win it as a coach gives you a great feeling because you see a group of girls work so hard to accomplish this. I’m just thrilled to see them do it.”
Saturday’s opponent, Christ Church, also has an impressive program. The Cavaliers were seeking their 14th state title on a beautiful fall day, but the Bishops’ talent and depth proved to be the difference. The Bishops also defeated the Cavaliers 4-3 in last year’s state finals.
Saturday’s defeat was the first setback of the year for Christ Church, which was undefeated in the regular season and the Upper State playoffs while claiming two tournaments as well: the Furman Girls Upstate and the Hall of Fame Classic in Belton.
The Bishops’ strong singles play was the difference.
At No. 1 singles, Jenna Vroman beat Lauren Allen 6-0, 6-2 while teammate Camryn Deames beat Day Nuckolls 6-4, 6-2 in No. 2 play. In No. 3 singles, the Bishops’ Gabrielle Dacuba topped Nila Veerabagu, 7-5, 6-2. In No. 4 singles, the Bishops’ Emily Elliott beat Anna Thompson 6-2, 6-7 (12-10).
Dacuba is the lone senior for the Bishops while Deames qualified for the state singles’ championship.
“It was a really big challenge,” Deames said of the victory over Christ Church. “It took all our effort to win the state title. I hope we can keep it going next year. This takes a lot of teamwork and we’re all very close. We just went out there and got into a zone and blocked everything out. They are a very good team. We worked hard all year in preparation for this match.”
The High School League’s biannual reclassification is on the horizon, and the Bishops will compete at Class AAA next year.
The good news: Two of the top Class AAA teams in the state include Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head -- both teams will compete in Class AAAA in the next academic year.