Richard Davis watched the nearby celebration for senior Hannah Jenne unfolding, a party that carried extra meaning for the Polk County tennis coach.

Finally, Davis could relax, a season-long quest to remain Western Highlands Conference champions complete thanks to the Wolverines’ 9-0 victory over Owen.

“I’m so proud of them,” Davis said. “We talked back in August about being at this point. We had a slogan – repeat, defend, win. Since August, that’s been what we’ve gone by, trying to make it work.

“It feels good. It feels real good.”

Polk County earned its second- straight WHC championship in familiar manner, sweeping singles and doubles play. With only Wednesday’s trip to Mountain Heritage remaining, the Wolverines have lost just one match in conference play this season.

Jenne topped Owen’s Camryn Bolick 10-2 to set the tone for the day, with Sara Muse’s 10-2 win at No. 5 singles officially clinching the win for Polk.

The Wolverines used doubles play to give the team of Tana Harris and Julia Griffin a debut as Jenne, who teamed with Harris to win the state 1A doubles title last season, plans to compete this postseason in singles. Harris and Griffin topped Owen’s Bolick and Margaret Hay 8-3.

Delaney Suddreth and Madi Pruette ended the afternoon with an 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles, meaning all eight Polk players earned at least one win during the day’s play.

“Good players make good coaches as well as having the right players in the right spots,” Davis said. “All led by Hannah Jenne as both a singles and doubles player.

“Going back to playing those good teams early on [Hendersonville and T.C. Roberson, among others], some of the outcomes were not as good as I would have like to had, but those matches got us going in the right direction.”

SINGLES

1. Hannah Jenne d. Camryn Bolick 10-2; 2. Tana Harris d. Summer Thoma 10-1; 3. Julia Griffin d. Margaret Hay 10-0; 4. Virginia Rostick d. Mattie Leyman 10-3; 5. Sara Muse d. Amara Hollifield 10-2; 6. Ava Marino d. Francis Holliday 10-6.

DOUBLES

1. Griffin-Harris d. Bolick-Hay 8-3; 2. Jenne-Rostick d. Thoma-Heidi Evans 8-2; 3. Delaney Suddreth-Madi Pruette d. Saraharvey Stafford-Kendall Leboeuf 8-6.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com