Making the first state tournament appearance for a Harlan County High School tennis player, junior Kalista Dunn fell 6-0, 6-0 to Grayson County’s Ava Walker in Lexington earlier this week.
Dunn posted a 14-4 record this season with three of the losses in the postseason. Dunn won three matches in the regional tournament before falling in the semifinals.
“To say you’re the first player to ever play in the state tournament is a tremendous accolade and honor,” Harlan County coach Caleb Bailey said. “Kalista played some very tight points in her match against Ava Walker, but it wasn’t enough to win a game off of her. Ava was more consistent with harder shots to the baseline and we had trouble attacking her topspin shot. Kalista had great moments with cross court winners and long rallies. She will carry this experience into next season with goals of returning with hopes of advancing further in this tournament. There is a lot of tough competition here at UK, and we are grateful to have been a part of it for the first time. As a coach, I’m very proud of Kalista and our team for the year we have had.”