The door for three repeat champions in Region 4 is wide open this year.

The region tournament set to begin Saturday at Kereiakes Park features the defending boys’ and girls’ singles champions as the respective No. 1 seeds and the two-time defending girls’ doubles champions.

South Warren juniors Natalie Noble and Sydney Cassady have won two straight region titles in girls’ doubles. Meanwhile, Drakes Creek Middle School eighth-grader Jacks Lancaster aims to defend his title as Greenwood’s boys’ singles champion and his sister, Greenwood sophomore Mia Lancaster, returns as the girls’ singles champion.

Three of the four top seeds hail from Greenwood between the Lancasters and the No.1 girls’ doubles team of Catherine Gott/Greer Glosick. That top ranking could set up Greenwood to three-peat a sweep of the boys’ and girls’ team titles.

“They’re ready to make a run,” Greenwood boys’ coach Tim Dethridge said. “The team has worked really hard to defend our spot and carry on the tradition.”

But there are a few challengers with experience who will be gunning for a first-time championship. Weather permitting, the first two rounds of the girls’ tournaments will take place Saturday at Warren Central High School while the boys’ tournaments are at Kereiakes Park.

All semifinal and final rounds will be at Kereiakes Park on Monday and Tuesday.

Girls Doubles

Noble and Cassady enjoy not having the pressure of being the tournament’s top seed. It’s helped them win two straight region titles.

The junior duo goes for a three-peat Saturday against the fifth-seed Kelly Lin/Sierra Earnhardt team from Greenwood in the second round.

“it’s definitely our goal to win all four years,” Noble said. “We’re in the same position as last year going in as the No. 2 seed, but we’re expecting it to turn out just like it did the last two years.”

Greenwood’s top doubles team of Gott/Glosick defeated the Noble/Cassady team in the regular season in a tiebreaker to earn the region’s top seed.

“Obviously, we weren’t expecting that to happen since we’ve been trying to beat them the past two years,” Gott said. “It feels better going in as a 1-seed, but it’s definitely more stressful.

Gott, a senior, is working with the seventh-grader Glosick after previously teaming up with Samantha Springs, who graduated last year. As the No. 1 seed last year, the duo was upset by a Russell County team in the semifinals.

The vast age difference between Gott and Glosick hasn’t hindered the Greenwood pair much this season.

“It’s been a change because I’ve had the same partner the last two years,” Gott said. “We’ve found our style and we really like playing together.”

Boys Doubles

Bowling Green senior Amrit Avula already has two singles region championships to his name. Now he’ll try and add a doubles title alongside sophomore Ronit Patel.

Avula moved from singles to doubles while sophomore John Guthrie emerged as the top singles player this season.

“Playing doubles is a different experience,” Avula said. “I’ve played it before and Ronit and I have had good matches this season, so we can’t wait to start off pretty soon.”

The duo has lost just four matches all season to McCracken County, Covington Catholic, DuPont Manual and Owensboro.

“Those were good tuneups for this regional tournament,” Avula said. “We hope to take that experience and sort of accumulate all that in region.”

Avula/Patel will play the Dylan Dethridge/Will Parks duo from Greenwood in the second round. The No. 2 seed of Parker Young/Landon Gann from Greenwood hopes to keep the doubles championship at Greenwood for another year. Parker’s older brother, Jacob, won the doubles title last year with Austin Schneller.

“Our season has gone really good,” Young said. “I feel really confident going into this tournament with a 2-seed.”

Boys Singles

The top two seeds have yet to play one another. Lancaster and No. 2 seed Guthrie’s match in the regular season was rained out, which leaves much unknown about a potential region championship match featuring young talent.

“Jacks is an amazing player, but right now I’m focused on the first round,” said Guthrie, who will play South Warren’s Luke Wininger on Saturday. “I have to take it one round at a time. I realize Jacks is the favorite, but if anybody thinks I’m going in there less confident because I’m the 2-seed, they’re wrong.”

Lancaster cruised to a singles title last year as a seventh-grader. Tennis Recruiting Network ranks him as the top eighth-grader in Kentucky and the 49th best player in the Southeast. Lancaster will play Glasgow’s Nick Morosa in Saturday’s second round.

“It’s been a good year,” Lancaster said. “Tennis has been good and we’ve had a lot of fun matches and close matches.”

Girls Singles

Lancaster will play Bowling Green’s Hannah Jukes in the second round Saturday. Lancaster said she sprained her MCL in January and missed a few weeks but didn’t suffer a setback and is ready to repeat as a region champion.

“I’ve gotten more confident in my game,” Lancaster said.

Metcalfe County’s Konnor Gallagher is the girls’ singles No. 2 seed.{&end}