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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Cherryville High School women's tennis team hosted an alumni tennis match at the Donna Lavery Tennis Complex in Cherryville, NC, on September 17, 2025, from 4-8 pm. Former players were invited to watch the current team compete against Ashbrook High School from Gastonia, NC, and after the match, they were invited to attempt to shake off the rust and score some points on the court. The Lady Ironmen won the match 8-1. Winners in the single matches were Morgan Wray, Laney Spangler, Maddie Avery, Bailey Bryant, Ava Freeman, and Laney Jones. Bailey Bryant, Laney Jones, Miley Dalton, and Grace Wells were doubles winners. Congratulations to Coach Brandon Shull and his girls on the victory. Coach Shull set out to find the toughest competition; he wanted his girls to face the best of the best. He tried to avoid an easy schedule to allow the players to improve by playing against tough competition. They beat Piedmont Charter 5-4 earlier in the month and last week knocked off Lincolnton 8-1.
Wise News Network reporter Ashley Reep caught up with Coach Brandon Shull before the match began. When asked what it meant to him to have alumni come out to support the team, he responded, "To me, I hope it means a lot to the girls themselves, because to see groups of people, some of them they know, like teachers in the building and parents. Former players who may have played with them come back to support them because they are the next ones in line ready to play. I hope they enjoy it. I think it'll be good. It's our first time doing this." Does he think the alumni nights will strengthen the team as a whole? "I think it will give them something to look forward to every year. I want it to be, 'Hey Coach, when are we doing the alumni night?' So, I would like to see more alumni who maybe can't make it today, if we start doing it regularly, they'll be able to come to a couple of them. Get a chance to pull the racket out, dust it off, and try to hit a couple points after our match."
Is it important for alumni to stay connected to the school and sports after graduation? "I think it's just, you know, I want them to say that what they did when they were here is still important because it's a stepping stone for the team we have now." Coach Shull reflected on what he would like to see with the tennis program. "I would love, in all honesty, to see our tennis have more tennis in Cherryville. I know pickleball has been growing, but only having three courts is sometimes a struggle. Many teams don't like to come to Cherryville and play us because of how long a match takes, because we only have three courts, and you ideally must play nine matches when you play a dual match. That's been something I've been pushing for a few years. Maybe if we could expand it and have a fourth court or build more courts somewhere in town that we could use, and that could represent our city a lot better."
Second-year player, senior Grace Wells, and third-year player, junior Morgan Wray, offered their thoughts on their individual performance and how the season has been going. Grace stated, "I think this year I expected to play worse than I did last season, but starting with pretty much a whole new team was really a performance booster to kind of lead as a senior, also be beside all of them as they go through high school." Morgan interjected, "I feel like since, at first, I thought it was going to be pretty bad, because all my friends are on here and I can't quit talking to my friends, but then I realized having them by my side just makes it easier and better knowing they are supporting me with my journey, and I supported them too. So, I just feel like it has gotten better ever since then." Morgan is also the team captain, and as the captain, she expressed, "One thing I wish everyone would see in themselves is that they are actually better than they think they are. Like, they all get self-conscious and think they are just not good or somebody else is better than them, but if they think they're the best, then they'll be better and try to be better." Grace added her thoughts on alumni night, "I'm excited to see some of the teachers that teach at our school, because I realize that they were on the tennis team. I think it's cool seeing them in a different environment."
In October 2016, the Cherryville City Park tennis courts were renamed in honor of Donna Lavery. Her name has become synonymous with Cherryville tennis, and the honor has been well deserved. A 1975 graduate of Cherryville High School, she played three sports in her three years of high school. Girls' sports were just beginning to be added at the competitive school level, and she was a member of the first softball team, played basketball, and formed the tennis team with a couple of other girls before there was even a coach. She said they played and had a good time, but really didn't know what they were doing. She taught for three years in Cleveland County after getting her undergraduate degree from Gardner Webb University, before signing on as a tennis coach in Cherryville in 1986. She spent 32 years coaching tennis in Cherryville and still supports the team when she can. She was asked why tennis? "I played a fairly good bit, just recreational, and when I had the opportunity, thinking that's what was offered, I just took it and went with it. So, I learned a lot, A LOT, along the way from other coaches that I would meet and going to play other teams, so it was a learning experience for me through the years and probably could still learn a whole lot, it's just one of those things you grow with and it became my sport, I guess is what you could say." She would later coach the boys' tennis team as well. She gave her thoughts on that experience, "Then I had a chance to pick up the boys' team, and that was even a different experience from coaching girls. A whole different mindset. I think coaching boys was a little bit easier than coaching girls."
The first annual Cherryville women's tennis alumni match was a success. It was a great experience for the returning alumni and the 2025 team. It was only fitting that Donna Lavery was there at the complex that bears her name, for a school sport she not only helped launch but also propelled to a higher standard. The victory over Ashbrook was the icing on the cake.
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