Starting the season with a tight Valley District road contest, the Rockbridge County High School girls tennis team came up short 5-4 against Broadway on Monday of last week.
Broadway, which ended the week at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the district, won two of three doubles matches and claimed three of six singles matches to eke out the win.
Two of the doubles matches went to tiebreaks. At No. 1, Broadway’s Clara Denman and Tess Bacon teamed up to defeat RC junior Corinna Allen and senior Julia Newhall 9-8 (7-1 tiebreak).
After Broadway won 8-1 at No. 2 doubles, RC senior Campbell Bond and sophomore Diya Gandhi overcame Broadway’s Ella Yoder and Maggie Toothman 9-8 (7-3 tiebreak).
In singles, the Gobblers won at the top three spots. Secondyear RC head coach Mark Sholes praised junior Ava Crocker from fighting from behind to earn a 9-7 win over Broadway’s Braelyn Grandle at No. 5. Both Bond and Gandhi won their singles matches, with Bond at No. 5 and Gandhi at No. 6.
The Wildcats have an experienced team this year, with nine returning players from last year’s squad, which went 4-10 overall and 0-10 in the Valley District, with Allen and Julia Newhall making it to the Region 3C doubles tournament and Allen playing in the regional singles tournament. From last year’s team, the Wildcats graduated two players, Katherine Lotts and Addie Wright, but they return a strong core group and have added junior Bella Fitch.
Seniors Julia Newhall and Eleanor Goodhart are the Wildcats’ co-captains. Joining them in the senior class are Bond and Goodhart. The Wildcats have four juniors: Allen, Crocker, Fitch and Presley Brzostek. Completing the roster are a pair of returning sophomores, Gandhi and Jade Newhall.
Joining the Wildcats as an assistant coach is Mike Moorman. After a two-week break in competition, the Wildcats will continue district action at Spotswood on Tuesday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m., before taking on local rival Parry McCluer on Thursday, April 10, at 5 p.m. at the Southern Virginia University courts in Buena Vista. The Wildcats will return to district action the following Monday, April 14, with a home match against East Rockingham at the Lexington Country Club courts before traveling to Harrisonburg the next day. Both matches are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Broadway 5, RC 4
SINGLES – Clara Denman (B) d. Corinna Allen (RC) 8-0; Tessa Bacon (B) d. Julia Newhall (RC) 8-2; Rose Cox (B) d. Eleanor Goodhart (RC) 8-5; Ava Crocker (RC) d. Braelyn Grandler (B) 9-7; Campbell Bond (RC) d. Ella Yoder (B) 8-6; Diya Gandhi (RC) d. Maggie Toothman (B) 8-6.
DOUBLES – Allen and Newhall (RC) d. Denman and Bacon (B) 9-8 (7-1 tiebreak); Cox and Grandle (B) d. Goodhart and Crocker (RC) 8-1; Yoder and Toothman (RC) d. Bond and Gandhi (RC) 9-8 (7-3 tiebreak).
