Athlete of the week: Anna Claire Lumpkin has ice water in her veins

Anna Claire Lumpkin has ice water in her veins. The LaGrange High junior tennis player has helped guide the Grangers to a region title and an Elite Eight appearance, and she is not done yet.“Getting to play at home in front of our home fans is everything,” Lumpkin said.

“Every match we play from here on gets bigger, and it gets even more exciting.”The Grangers will host the state quarterfinals on Thursday with a trip to Rome for the Final Four on the line. It has been a steady climb for Lumpkin over the last three years.



She was originally a part of the no. 2 doubles team during her freshman and sophomore campaigns, but coach Kenny Moore decided to move Lumpkin to one of the singles positions. “I had to give up doubles, which I really liked at the time, but to play singles was what was best for the team,” Lumpkin said.

“I love singles now and can’t imagine not playing by myself.“I had to fight just to get a spot in my first year,” she added. Every single match Lumpkin has played this season has been important, but her match on Monday against Cherokee Bluff in the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs took on even more significance.

With the teams tied 2-2 and only Lumpkin left on the court, she rallied to win the second and third sets to send LaGrange to the state quarterfinals.“I knew I could beat her,” Lumpkin said. “I was a little nervous at first, just looking over and seeing everybody watching me.

I just had to control my breathing and remember what my coaches told me.”“We all knew that AC was going to win,” teammate Madi Del Angel said. “There was no doubt.

An exhausted Lumpkin left the court on Monday, dripping sweat and breathing heavily, indicative of how much this team and this sport mean to her. She poured her heart and soul onto the court, and she was rewarded by her teammates, who swarmed her on the court after the conclusion of her match.“Honestly, this team is like a family, a little tennis family,” Lumpkin said.

At times this season, the girls’ team at LaGrange High has been overshadowed by their male counterparts, who are ranked no. 1 in the state and are one of the favorites to win the state title. Lumpkin is helping change that perception as the Granger girls also won a region title, just like the boys, and will also be hosting an Elite Eight matchup.

“Everyone was expecting a really big season from the boys. We’ve been out to prove that, you know, we’re good too,” Lumpkin said. “The boys are great, they’re really deserving of all the attention that they get for everything, because they are really, really good, the best they’ve been in years.

But when we won region, it was kind of nice, because it was like a ‘hey, we can do the same things they can do.’“We have been better than we were expecting to be,” she added. The post Athlete of the week: Anna Claire Lumpkin has ice water in her veins appeared first on LaGrange Daily News.

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