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Albemarle girls tennis sweeps Stafford to grab state tournament berth

Albemarle girls tennis knew Stafford would eventually surge, but the Patriots built an early lead and came up with a sweep, winning 5-0 to clinch a state tournament berth and a spot in the Region 5D championship match.

 

“We jumped on them early by winning all the first sets decisively,” said Albemarle girls tennis coach Ian Lyons. “We prepared for a fight and they started to give it back to us in the second sets on a couple of courts. We knew this would come at some point with Stafford being a solid team. Thankfully, we won the big points today to advance to the region final. Couldn’t be more proud of our toughness.”

 

Eliza Sanusi rolled 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles for the Patriots and Lillian Peskova similarly took care of business 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3. Kelsey Marks had little trouble at number two, winning 6-0, 6-3 and Mia Shen mimicked that win at No. 4 singles. Emma Paitrick’s 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles helped the Patriots close out the match. Catherine Beiter was tied 6-2, 6-3 when her match was suspended since Albemarle had clinched.

 

The Patriots have a largely new-look lineup this season but they’ve been locked in. Last year’s squad graduated four seniors after  winning a region title, and four freshmen — Peskova, Shen, Natalie Assink and Paitrick — have joined the lone two returning starters in Sanusi and Marks to create a formidable lineup.

 

The Patriots (15-2) have only lost to Western Albemarle, the top seed in Region 3C this year, and they’ll play for a region title Friday.

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