To see a photo gallery of this match, click here.
Western Albemarle sophomore Will Diamond, in the No. 5 spot, didn’t get on the court until late in singles because one of the six courts at Western was still soaked from the previous night’s rain. Once he did get out there, he was dominant.
“That tells me that these guys are ready to go,” said Western coach Charles Ix. “Our guys stood the test and grinded and gutted it out.”
Diamond won 6-0, 6-0 in his spot over Sherando’s David Sottosanti, clinching the match, a Region II title and a state tournament berth for Western Albemarle, the three-time defending state champions, in the process.
“I guess I was playing pretty well today — I was just on, there was no holding back,” Diamond said.
Diamond, part of a loaded sophomore group, wasn’t the only classmate to get the job done as Tom Lewis and Andrew Loving picked up wins as well, both in tough matches. Cam Scot, the fourth sophomore in the Warriors’ top six, fell in the three sets to Kaleb Nguyen at the No. 1 spot.
Teddy Nelson and Alex Preve rounded out the 5-1 win, with both players rolling in their respective matches. Preve, Western’s senior captain who’s been a part of three straight team Group AA championships, gave the Warriors a dominating performance at he No. 2 spot, winning 6-2, 6-2. He also closed out his last match on Western’s home court with the exciting Region II title.
“I have so many memories here and to win like I did playing so well is just amazing,” Preve said.
Preve will also participate in the Region doubles tournament with his partner Nelson, another addition to an already wildly impressive career.
While Scot, Preve and Nelson will participate in the singles and doubles Region II competitions over the next week, Western won’t hit the court again as a team until they arrive in Blacksburg, in the Group AA tournament June 11.
