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Western Albemarle tennis splits

Western Albemarle girls tennis is getting moving in the postseason.

The Warriors made quick work of Skyline Monday evening, rolling 5-0 to advance to the Region II semifinals. Emily Kochard’s 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1 set the tone for the Warriors, and nobody else on the ladder had much more trouble, with No. 2 Maddy Ix winning 6-1, 6-1, Lauren Kearns winning 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3 and Claire Park winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4. Fran Clifton closed out the win with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5. The match ended with No. 6 Stephanie Barton in control of her match as well.

Western advances to the Region II semifinals Wednesday, where they’ll host.

Western 5, Skyline 0

Singles

1. Emily Kochard (WAHS) def. Presley Rutherford (SHS), 6-0, 6-0

2. Maddy Ix (WAHS) def. Julie Hoverter (SHS), 6-1, 6-1

3. Lauren Kearns (WAHS) def. Alex Zarzuela (SHS), 6-2, 6-0

4. Claire Park (WAHS) def. Ashleigh Salyers (SHS), 6-1, 6-0

5. Fran Clifton (WAHS) def. Alayna McEathron (SHS), 6-2, 6-3

6. Stephanie Barton (WAHS) was leading Samantha Morrison (SHS), 6-3, 3-0, DNF

Western boys fall, ending rebuilding campaign

While the Western girls rolled, the Western boys ran into a tough draw, facing Loudoun County in the opening round of the Region II tournament.

The Warriors fell 5-1 to the Raiders. The loss ends a string of state tournament appearances that’s nearly unparalleled in the area. The Warriors were on a run of four straight state tournament final appearances, including a 5-3 win over E.C. Glass in 2012. The graduation of five of the Warriors’ top six forced a complete rebuild of the Western lineup, with 2012 No. 6 Timmy O’Shea moving up to No. 1.

O’Shea put together a brilliant senior season and nearly gave Western a fighting chance Monday as he battled back from a 6-2 first set loss to snag the second set 7-6 and rallied again in the third set to get it square at 5-5 before falling 7-5 to Loudoun County’s Jack Mclister.

“He fought hard — (O’Shea) was able to keep the ball going and he played one of his best matches all year long,” said Western coach Andrew Wymer. “He battled incredibly — he’s had a great senior year.”

Four of the Warriors 2013 top six should return next season, including a quartet of sophomores led by the lone Monday winner, Tucker Ottoway who dropped the first set 7-6 but closed with 6-1, 6-2 victories. Andrew Ern, Scott Grover and Patrick Hicks are also sophomores in the starting lineup.

“(Ottoway) is just a tiger, he competes hard, Wymer said. “Nobody is going to outwork him.”

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