RHS tennis player selected for All Star match

Russellville High School tennis player Lily Cate Pace has been selected to play in the North-South Tennis All Star Match, which will take place July 22 in Montgomery.

Juniors from across the state in every classification are considered with 12 of them coming from the north half of the state.

“It is a huge honor to be on this team,” said head girls tennis coach Charlotte Dollar. “She’s been to state all three years of her career and two of those years we’ve gotten second at state, and that ups your ante, because if the team did well, you probably did, too.”

Pace said she never thought she would be selected for the team.

“I was really excited when I found out I made it,” Pace said. “I was shocked and I’m thankful for the opportunity and the honor. I’m looking forward to meeting other players and making new friends.”

Pace said she’s especially excited abou learning new playing strategies and generally working on getting better as a player.

“I’ll be playing with kids from all over the state with different backgrounds and skill levels and I’ll get better as a player from that,” she added. “It really does bring me happiness every time I play.”

For Pace, playing tennis is not just a game, it’s a passion.

“I love that I’m able to put all of my competitiveness and emotion into the court,” she said. “I can play to the best of my ability with really no one bothering me, and I can just zone in and have a one-on-one match with the other player and just put it on the court. Whether I win or lose, I know that I’ve tried my hardest.”