GAINESVILLE — Ali Waggoner may just have earned herself a new nickname.
"She's been our clincher in every single match that we needed one point to win it this season," Lady Red Elephants coach Kellie Smith said of her sophomore No. 3 singles player. "She deals with pressure and you never even know it. Her expression never changes."
That stoicism once again proved the clincher for Gainesville on Thursday, as Waggoner sealed the biggest victory of her young varsity career, closing out the No. 3 singles point to knock off Flowery Branch 3-1 in the Region 8-AAAAA championships at Longwood Park in Gainesville.
Not that Waggoner wasn't twisting herself in knots on the inside -- especially when her first set against the Lady Falcons' Peyton Brick went into a tiebreak. But Gainesville's No. 3 prevailed 7-3 in the tiebreak to settle any nerves before finishing out the match with a 6-2 win in the second set.
"It was scary at the start, but everything went so much better after (winning the tiebreak). Before that I was worried," said Waggoner, who was facing her first real match of the tournament after Gainesville clinched quarterfinal and semifinal victories on Wednesday before the No. 3 even got a chance to get going.
But Thursday provided the sophomore a chance to supply the knockout blow, as Gainesville won at No. 1 singles -- Katherine Wright defeating Olivia Correa 6-4, 6-0 -- and No. 1 doubles -- Madi Kiser and Paige Patterson prevailing 6-3, 6-1 -- before Flowery Branch's Bailey Sims and Kaia Clark won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 doubles to make it 2-1 and leave No. 2 and 3 singles to decide the title.
With the No. 2 match drifting into a second set tiebreak the proceedings could have gotten tense between the two rivals -- but Waggoner denied the Lady Falcons' bid for a second straight 8-AAAAA crown.
"This is great," Waggoner said. "I actually won by almost the exact same score as when I played (Brick) in the regular season."
Not that Waggoner or any of her teammates needed any extra motivation on Thursday with arch-rivals Flowery Branch staring at them from across the court -- a mutual feeling between foes who have battled for the region crown in each of the last four seasons (Gainesville winning three).
"We all really wanted to beat them," Waggoner said. "We've been talking about it for a while."
"I think my girls would rather beat Flowery Branch than finish runner-up in state," Smith added.
Now both teams will turn their attentions to progressing through state, as the GHSA tournament gets underway next week, opponent and start times for first round matches to be determined.
"Just keep winning -- that's all I know about the state tournament right now," grinned Smith.
It's a good bet they'll need "the clincher" at her stoic best to do so.
-- GAINESVILLE BOYS CLINCH No. 3 SEED: The Red Elephants also bested the Falcons on the boys side of the 8-AAAAA tourney on Thursday at Longwood, claiming the third seed from the region in the process.
Gainesville's No. 2 doubles team of Trevor Munn and Max Wuest clinched the match with a hard-fought 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Reagan Williams also won at No. 1 singles for the Red Elephants, 6-1, 6-0, while Gainesville's No. 1 doubles team of Thomas Carter and Roan Thompson prevailed 6-2, 6-2.
Both the Red Elephants and Falcons will travel in the first round of the state tournament next week, time and opponent to be determined.
