Ardrey Kell, Weddington, Salisbury push into dual team tennis state finals

Three Observer-area teams, including Charlotte's Ardrey Kell, will play for N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team tennis championships Saturday in Burlington.

Ardrey Kell beat rival Myers Park 6-0 in the N.C. 4A Western Regional final and the Knights (15-0) continued their unbeaten season.

Ardrey Kell will play Panther Creek (20-1) Saturday. The Knights will be attempting to win their first state tennis title and the first for a Mecklenburg County team since Myers Park won in 2008. Since the girls dual-team format was introduced in 1990, Myers Park is the only Mecklenburg County 4A team to capture a championship. The Mustangs lost in the 2009 and 2010 state finals to Raleigh Broughton.

Charlotte Catholic (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) has multiple 3A titles. The Cougars also won 2A titles in 2001, 2003 and 2004. They won 1A/2A titles from 1990-92

-- In 3A, Weddington beat Asheville 5-3. Weddington will face either Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons or Fayetteville Sanford Saturday.

-- In 2A, Salisbury beat Mecklenburg County's Lake Norman Charter 5-1. Salisbury will play Durham's N.C. Science and Math school for the state final.

Finally in the 1A West region, Mount Airy, which is not in the Observer-area, defeated Bishop McGuinness 5-3 to advance to Saturday's 1A final against Raleigh Charter.