The tennis courts at Camden County High School were buzzing this spring as both the boys and girls tennis teams of coach Dan Vonk swept through their Region 1-AAAAAAA schedule with identical 6-0 records. After starting in early February, the Wildcats tennis teams went into the region tournament, where they faced Colquitt, Lowndes, and Tift again for the third time each this season.
On the ladies’ side of the net, Breann Sweatt was the No. 1 player and one of the top players in Southeast Georgia.
“She is a senior and captain of the team,” Vonk said.
Sweatt did not drop a set in six region matches. Her biggest match of the year came in Camden’s first meeting with Lowndes, when she faced the Vikings’ No. 1 Hannah Gandy.
“It set up a year of dominance in the region and gave me, as well as the team, confidence,” Sweatt said.
Courtney Hart, senior, was team co-captain along with Sweatt. Hart has been a four-year starter for Camden. The Lady Wildcats defeated three top Jacksonville schools – Bolles, Bishop Kenny, and Ponte Vedra – this season on their way to a 19-1 mark.
On the other side of the net, the boys team was 18-2. One of the losses was to The Bolles School out of Jacksonville.
“They are traditionally the top program in North Florida,” Vonk said.
The boys team also went undefeated in Region 1-AAAAAAA play until the finals of the region tournament, when they fell to Lowndes.
Senior Walker Vonk has been one of the team’s leaders this season, playing No. 1 or No. 2 singles for the Wildcats.
“He, along with Walter Wright, a junior, are probably the top 1-2 singles players in South Georgia,” Vonk said.
Walker Vonk is being recruited by several colleges to play tennis next year. His biggest match of the year came against Episcopal High School. The match was tied at 2-2 and came down to Walker Vonk playing in the No. 2 singles slot.
“I lost the first set 3-6, won the next 7-5, and then in the third set we went into a tiebreaker,” he said. “I won in the tiebreaker 7-2 to get the win for our team. The match was three-and-a-half hours long and the longest match of my life.”
Walker Vonk and Walter Wright are good friends who grew up playing tennis together and push each other to the next level.
“He’s my best friend and a lot like a little brother to me,” Walter Vonk said. “We fight just like brothers, and if you ever see us playing against each other in a match, it can get pretty intense and emotional.”
Another major part of the program is four-year varsity starter Harris Sailors, who signed with Piedmont College to play collegiate tennis.
Camden County played a difficult schedule this year including the Lowndes Tournament in March, which both teams won. They also played several of the better high school programs in Jacksonville including Bolles, Episcopal, Bishop Kenny, Ponte Vedra, and Fernandina Beach.
“Our last two matches will be extremely tough, but will help prepare us for the region tournament and state playoffs,” Vonk said.
At 6-0 in Region 1-AAAAAAA, both Wildcats teams were the top seeds at the region tournament in Tifton. The Lady Wildcats finished as region champions, while the men took the second seed on their side. Both teams hosted North Cobb from Region 3. The boys team fell in three straight matches, while the Lady Wildcats won in three straight matches and moved on to face Lambert High School in the second round of the state playoffs. The Longhorns were too much for the Lady Wildcats, and their season ended in the second round.
SE-SF-0517-Camden tennis
By Rob Asbell
Photography by
Ladies Tennis Takes Region
