The Western Albemarle girls’ tennis team knew they were in for a battle against Spotswood in the region final. They were prepared for long points, games, sets, and matches at each position. Ultimately, the Warriors prevailed in five hard-fought singles matches and completed the sweep over Spotswood to clinch the region championship on Thursday afternoon at Boar’s Head.
Western got off to a great start with impressive performances from Austin Winslow and Grace Nolasco at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Winslow defeated Meg Dunaway and Nolasco defeated Madison Cooley, with both matches going in Western’s favor in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
“It’s great that Austin and Grace could deliver at the top, which we needed to give us a good start,” said Western Albemarle head coach Ellen Markowitz.
The rest of the matches were tightly contested and very competitive.
“We know they’re really strong, particularly three on down — 3, 4, 5, and 6,” said Markowitz. “We knew that they would be bringing it at those positions. We knew that our girls just had to be ready.”
Junior Alison Selverstone defeated Abby Branner, 6-2, 6-2, to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. After breezing through her first set with a 6-0 win, senior Sarah Randolph Warren prevailed in a hard-fought 7-5 second set.
“SR [Warren] had a tight second set,” Markowitz said. “I felt like once we could get one of those 3, 4, 5, 6 in the bag, that that would help us psychologically. I’m really happy that SR and Allie finished close together, so it went from 2-0 to 4-0 very quickly.”
“It feels great,” Warren added after the win. “We worked really hard all season.”
Needing a win in a fifth match to clinch the victory, all eyes were on the #5 and #6 matches, which became marathons between evenly-matched opponents. Junior Maddie Farmer took the first set, 6-2, over Spotswood’s Raygan Wade, but Wade responded by taking the second set, 6-2, to send the match to a deciding third set. Farmer held off Wade in the third set, 6-2, to clinch the match for Western.
“Maddie’s money, her nickname is money,” Markowitz said with a smile as she looked over at the Western junior. “And she delivered with the pressure and against a tough left-handed player who had very tough topspin and slice.”
Senior Maya Kelly was in the midst of a tight second set that was tied at four games apiece when the match was called off after Farmer clinched the victory for the Warriors in her match.
“I’m really proud of the way they hung in,” Markowitz commented of her team’s performance.
The region champs will face Abingdon in the state tournament on Monday.
