Wildcats Advance As Team In Regionals
Rockbridge County High School senior boys tennis player Nic Vargas won his first Valley District singles title on Monday of last week, and Vargas and senior teammate Nic Faulds repeated as district doubles champions the next day. In the first round Region 3C team tournament on Friday, the Wildcats earned a 5-1 win over Wilson Memorial at the Southern Virginia University courts in Buena Vista.
In the singles tournament, which took place at East Rockingham High School in Elkton, Vargas defeated Broadway’s Tanner Fulk 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals. Vargas faced Spotswood’s Nate Lees in the finals. After splitting a pair of regular-season matches with Lees, Vargas beat the fellow senior 7-6 (8-6 tiebreak), 6-1 in the finals.
In the finals of the doubles tournament the next day, also at ER, Vargas and Faulds overcame a rough start to beat Spotswood’s Lees and Ryland Wade, 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 (tiebreak). Vargas and Faulds had also beaten Spotswood’s top duo last year, but against different players.
Praising his top pair, RC head coach Scott Youngdahl said, “The first set did not go our way, and they really had to battle back. They got a big break at 2-3, and they held onto that break. Their communication was great. A couple shots here or there could’ve gone either way.”
page A10 “Those guys were pretty evenly matched,” added Youngdahl. “I’m really happy to be able to do that, especially two years in a row.”
Youngdahl said both Vargas and Faulds “have gotten better this year, but Nic Vargas is just so much of a complete player.”
As a team, the Wildcats (12-4 overall, 9-3 district) entered the Region 3C tournament as the fifth seed and cruised to a 5-1 win over 12th-seeded Wilson Memorial (6-11) on Friday.
Because the Wildcats were able to use six courts at SVU, rather than just four at their usual home venue, the Lexington Country Club, they completed the match around 12:30 p.m., after starting it at 11 a.m. “I was really glad to be able to play here and use these courts, and we want to thank SVU for that.”
The Wildcats needed to win five matches, so they only played singles. RC winners in singles were Nic Vargas at No. 1, Faulds at No. 2, Gardner Clement at No. 3, Joe Vargas at No. 4 and Jaxon Johnson at No. 5. Each of RC’s winners finished without dropping a set.
“We played pretty well,” said Youngdahl. Nic Vargas was scheduled to play in the Region 3C singles tournament and to team up with Faulds in the doubles tournament yesterday at Broadway. Winners will play today, Wednesday.
In the Region 3C team quarterfinals, the Wildcats will play at fourth-seeded Turner Ashby (13-3, 9-3) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. During the regular season, RC and TA split a pair of 5-4 matches.
“We’ll have our hands full,” said Youngdahl. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
RC 5, WM 1
SINGLES – Nic Vargas (RC) d. Drew Pumphrey (WM) 6-2, 6-2; Nic Faulds (RC) d. Lucas Acker (WM) 6-0, 6-1; Gardner Clement (RC) d. Parker Eimers (WM) 6-0, 6-1; Joe Vargas (RC) d. Ben Carver (WM) 6-1, 6-3; Jaxon Johnson (RC) d. Jayden Spivey (WM) 6-2, 6-2; Maddox Perry (WM) d. Sam Ballstaedt (RC) 6-3, 6-3.
RC senior Nic Faulds goes for a forehand shot at No. 2 singles. (Photo by Ronnie Coffey)
RC senior Nic Vargas hits a backhand return. (Photo by Ronnie Coffey)
RC SENIOR Nic Vargas displays his Valley District player of the year award
