With redemption in mind, Riverside boys tennis carries perfect record to state

There’s domination, and then there’s Riverside's boys tennis team.

The Warriors are 13-0 this season. Not only are they undefeated, but Riverside has won every match with 6-0 sweeps. The Warriors blow past everyone. They’re near-impossible to beat, and they know it.

So, how have the Warriors managed to stay engaged, blazing through their season without a blemish? How has Riverside head coach Heather Gage kept her boys focused?

With two simple words.

Myrtle Beach.

“That’s who the kids have been thinking about all season, ever since the state championship last year,” said Gage. “We had a feeling it would come down to the two of us again.”

Last year, Myrtle Beach took out Riverside in the state title game, 5-1.

With a 6-0 sweep of Greenwood in Wednesday’s upper state championship, the Warriors advanced to the 4-A state title match for the second straight season. 

Myrtle Beach swept AC Flora to win the lower state championship. 

The rematch is set.

“We’ve played this entire season with one goal, and that’s getting back to this game,” said Gage. “Everything we’ve trained for has all led up to this. We’ve just been checking boxes along the way.”

Two of Riverside’s star seniors—Scott Greiner and Liam Felty—haven’t been able to shake the sting of last year’s loss to Myrtle Beach. They haven’t wanted to, either. It’s been their motivation all season long.

“Since that last [state championship] match finished, we’ve been thinking about getting back here this year,” said Greiner. “That’s been our whole mindset this season.”

“We were all so disappointed last year because we got so close,” said Felty. “It was within our grasp. We just weren’t able to grab it. But that’s what’s been fueling us ever since. It gives us motivation to win it all this season, especially since it’s the last season for five of us.”

Riverside’s five seniors—Felty, Greiner, Jace Thompson, Connor Maddox, and Colin Drake
—have been a driving force in the team’s impeccable 2024 season. They want to go out as state champions. They have worked to make it back.

And they’re not the same players they were last year.

“I’m positive that all of our games have improved,” said Felty. “We know we’ve gotten better. We’re coming in even stronger this year and with a whole lot of energy. We know we can get it done.”

“We all know what we’re capable of. People can see it on the scoresheets,” said Greiner. “We’ve made it to state with a perfect record…This year, we’ve all reached a different level.”

Gage became emotional discussing her five seniors’ impact on the program.

“I adore them,” said Gage. “Sometimes, I just watch them play and think ‘They’re so special.’ They’re so fun and so talented. We have all of these inside jokes and this great rapport together. If I think about this being their last match too much, I’ll probably start to cry. Win or lose, it’s going to hit me pretty hard.”

Riverside will take on Myrtle Beach at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center in Florence.

The Warriors are one match away from redemption—and six points away from pure perfection.

But that’s no surprise to them. After all, they knew they’d be here.

“I told the boys after our [upper state championship], ‘We’re going to the state finals!’ And they were just like, ‘Yeah, isn’t that what we’ve talked about for the last six months?’ They just never had any doubt,” said Gage. “They always knew we’d be back.

“It’s that level of confidence that’s carried us. We’ve been here before, we’re here again, and we’ve got what it takes to win it all this year.”