The Class AAA girls tennis state championship result has been reversed because of a substitution violation on the part of the victorious Westminster team.
Westminster switched a player listed at doubles on the official playoff roster to the No. 3 singles position prior to Saturday’s championship match against Savannah Arts Academy because of a medical emergency that sidelined the Wildcats’ normal No. 3 singles player.
Unfortunately, such a move is prohibited by tennis rule B.1.d. on Page 90 of the GHSA Constitution & By-Laws, which states: “A player listed as a singles player on the playoff roster shall not switch over to doubles competitions in any later round, or vice versa.”
A substitution of this kind has been against GHSA rules since Team Tennis was first introduced in 1989 and Savannah Arts filed a formal request with the GHSA office asking for a review.
Westminster officials acknowledged the mistake and apologized.
The penalty for the illegal substitution is forfeiture of that No. 3 singles line, meaning that Westminster’s 3-2 match victory is reversed, giving Savannah Arts Academy a 3-2 win and the AAA state title.
