WINDSOR – Two friendly rivals took the court against each other here Thursday afternoon.

Despite rains during the morning and early afternoon, Bertie High School hosted the Lady Bears of Hertford County in a Northeastern Coastal Conference matchup.

After hours of solid battle, the Lady Falcons claimed win number two on the season by defeating HCHS 7-2.

Lady Falcons’ top-seed Jody Mizelle got the first victory of the afternoon when she stopped Hertford County number one Bria Freeman 6-2 and 6-1.

“Jody Mizelle played well and I’m proud of her victory,” said Bertie Tennis Coach Jackie Copeland. “I’m also very proud of her leadership and the way she played. She had an enjoyable day and kept a good attitude.”

In the second-seed battle, however, it was the Lady Bears who came out on top as Heaven Rushing took a hard-fought victory over Terri-Lynn Smith. Rushing won 6-4, 9-11 and 12-10.

“This was a tough match for both of the girls,” Copeland said of the number two seeds. “Terri-Lynn lost, but she never gave up and I’m pleased very happy with how she battled.”

Carmen Villamor secured a win in the battle of number threes, topping Brittanie Pierce 6-1 and 6-2. Number four seed Sandi Todd also claimed a win for Bertie by defeating Yvonne Harris 6-2 and 6-0.

Fifth-seeded Andrea Dunlow won for the Lady Falcons as she edged Tyler Christian by identical counts of 6-2 while Kate White took the number six contest by defeating Courtney Malone 6-2 and 6-2.

“Carmen, Sandi, Andrea and Kate all did an excellent job of playing hard and enjoying their matches,” Copeland said. “We have been pushing playing with the proper attitude and everyone did a great job of that.

“We are learning to play hard as a team and that’s what I’m most proud of,” she added.

In doubles action, the Lady Falcons earned victories in the top two matchups and Hertford County grabbed a number three doubles victory.

In the top-seeded matchup, Bertie’s Tori Dunlow and Sierra Jernigan earned an 8-3 Pro-set victory over Akeiba Fleetwood and Asha Joell while the Lady Falcons also won at number two with Brook Bowen and Haley Williams combining for an 8-3 victory over Tyler Christian and Tiffani Riddick.

Hertford County bounced back in the number three doubles category as Yvonne Harris and Tierra Walton grabbed an 8-2 win over Kelsey White and Miranda Hoggard.

“In the doubles’ contests, we let the younger girls get some match experience,” Copeland said. “I am proud of the way they went out and played and we were able to win two of them.”

Bertie tennis will take today (Tuesday) off before hosting Northeastern High School on Thursday. The Lady Bears, however, will be back in action today as they host Currituck High School.