No DeKalb County team has won a state tennis championship since the Lakeside boys did it in 2001. The Chamblee girls will try to change that losing streak on Saturday.
Chamblee will meet Starr’s Mill for the championship at the Clayton County International Park.
Chamblee defeated previously unbeaten Kell 3-2 in its semifinal match. The Bulldogs got to the final by beating Woodland, Bainbridge and Union Grove. Starr’s Mill defeated Harris County, Rome, Riverwood and Carrollton
Chamblee’s No. 1 singles player Olena Bilukha survived a scare; she had to take a break because of sickness in the first match but wound up winning 6-2, 7-6. The junior improved to 17-0 this season and 51-0 in her career. Sophomore Grace Pietkiewicz improved to 15-1 at No. 2 singles with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
After Chamblee dropped the two doubles matches, senior Leeza Ershtein improved to 22-0 at No. 3 singles with a 6-1, 6-4 win.
The Chamblee boys won a state title in 1998, but the girls have not cashed in.
Class AAAAAAA
Girls: Walton will play North Gwinnett in pursuit of its fifth straight state championship. The Raiders are loaded and return almost everyone from last year's team, including No. 1 singles standout Liz Norman, who has signed with James Madison. Walton beat Brookwood 3-0 in the semifinals. North Gwinnett beat Etowah 3-0 in the semifinals by sweeping the singles Elizabet Verizova, Emmy Fleming and Bri Olps won their match. Since 2001, Walton has failed to win the state title only twice.
Boys: Lambert will meet Etowah for the championship. Lambert survived to beat Norcross 3-2 in the semifinal and Etowah, which was the No. 2 seed from its region, beat Milton 3-1 in its semifinal.
Class AAAAAA
Girls: Region 7 rivals Alpharetta and Cambridge will meet for the title. Alpharetta prevailed in the region title match. Cambridge won the state championship in 2015.
Boys: Northview and Chattahoochee, who finished one-two in Region 7, meet again for the state championship. Northview, led by No. 1 singles player Jeremy Yuan, is the defending state champion.
Class AAAAA
Boys: Carrollton meets Starr's Mill for the championship. Starr's Mill has won it all twice, most recently in 2013. Carrollton's last title came in 1983.
Class AAAA
Girls: Defending state champion North Oconee will try to beat St. Pius again, this time for all the marbles. The Titans defeated St. Pius in the Region 8 final.
Boys: Marist goes for its fourth straight state championship against North Oconee, which is aiming for its first title. Marist is led by Virginia signee Jefferson Dockter.
Class AAA
Girls: Screven County and Bleckley County will play for the title. Neither team has won a state championship.
Boys: It would be hard to find two schools who are geographically closer than Westminster and Pace Academy, whose campuses are separated by only a few miles and I-75. Westminster beat Pace in the Region 5 championship. Westminster has won six consecutive state championships, the last two at Class AAA. Pace Academy's most recent title came in 2002.
Class AA
Girls: Westminster and Calhoun will meet for the championship. Westminster will be trying to win for the first time since 2014 and avenge last year's forfeit loss to Savannah Arts. Westminster won the match but used an in appropriate substitute and had to relinquish the title.
Boys: Model and Bleckley will meet for the championship. Both teams are seeking their first boys tennis title.
Class A Public
Girls: Drew Charter and Trion meet for the title, guaranteeing a North Georgia winner for the first time. Irwin County had won the last three titles.
Boys: Defending state champion Telfair County and Irwin County, two teams from the same area, will meet for the championship. Telfair County won the Area 2 title to earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Class A Private
Girls: This intriguing match features to reigning state champions – Brookstone vs. Wesleyan. Brookstone is the defending Class A Private champion and Wesleyan won the Class AA title for the last two seasons.
Boys: Mt. Paran Christian will meet Stratford Academy of Macon in the final. Stratford won the championship in 2015 and brings a 21-0 record into the championship. The Eagles beat Atlanta International 3-0 in the semifinals, getting a singles win from Daniel Cohen and doubles victories from the teams of Greg Sutton and David Grant, and Carter Eddlemon and Akshay Ranabhotu.
