Bishop girls tennis team suffers rare loss

The Bishop England High School girls’ tennis team suffered a rare loss Saturday when Trinity Collegiate posted a 4-2 victory over BE in the championship of the Bishops’ Fall Invitational.

 

Just how rare was the loss? Heading into the 2021 season the Bishops had not dropped a match since 2017 when the Bishops lost the championship of its Fall Invitational.

 

The Bishops cruised in the tournament, picking up three victories to reach the finals. But Trinity Collegiate, located near Florence, had the Bishops’ number, winning three singles matches and a double match.

 

No. 3 singles player Maggie Allen and No. 5 Brianna Bird were the only Bishops who posted victories.

 

The tournament is one of the most competitive tournaments in the Palmetto State and features top private and public schools, including Ashley Hall, Dreher, Porter-Gaud, Waccamaw, Hilton Head, Greenville and Bishop England.

 

The Bishops are seeking their 11th straight state title under coach Kristen Fleming Arnold. The Bishops’ last three state titles all came against Upstate power Chapman.

 

The state playoffs are scheduled to begin Oct. 9 with the state finals slated for Nov. 8-9 at a site to be determined. 

 

Russ Bus dedication 

 

Bishop England will host the “Russ Bus” Reveal and Dedication at 6 p.m. Friday in the west (senior) parking lot prior to the Bishops’ home football game against Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

 

The bus is a way to remember Russell McLaughlin, a 2019 graduate of BE, who was a star soccer player. He died tragically over the summer of ‘19.

 

It was common for McLaughlin to set the team’s defense by yelling “bus” in reference to the soccer term “parking the bus" — a strategy where a team packs its defense near its goal to preserve a lead late in the game.

 

Hearing McLaughlin yell “Bus” was so repetitive and part of the Bishops’ soccer psyche that he earned the nickname “Russ Bus.” When he passed away, his friends thought the Russ Bus made perfect sense to remember him and help get a new student activity bus, which the school badly needed.

 

Last year, the BE family came together to raise funds, more than $150,000, for a new student activity bus to be named "The Russ Bus.”

 

There will be a brief program of speakers, followed by the bus reveal, and a special dedication and blessing. Once the dedication concludes, the bus will be open and on display until 7:30 p.m. for walk-throughs and photos.