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Playing in a nail-biter for the second week in a row, the Rockbridge County High School girls tennis team suffered a 5-4 home loss to Broadway in the Valley District opener on Monday of last week at the Lexington Country Club courts.
The Wildcats (2-1) had won their season opener 5-4 over Parry McCluer at home on March 12 before earning a 7-2 home win over Staunton two days later.
Against Broadway, competing in cold and windy conditions, the Wildcats won three of six singles matches, but the Gobblers won two of three doubles contests to seal the win. With the victory, Broadway improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the district. Last year, RC and Broadway split a pair of matches.
At No. 1 singles, in her third straight nail-biter of the season, RC’s Corinna Allen came up short 9-7 against Broadway’s Maya Bacon. RC head coach Mark Sholes gave “kudos” to his No. 2 and No. 3 singles players, Julia Newhall and Sydney Remington, for earning 8-6 wins, while RC’s Katherine Lotts won 8-2 at No. 4.
RC’s win in doubles came at No. 1, where Allen and Newhall teamed up to beat Bacon and Maggie Roberts 8-4. “They’ve really come together,” said Sholes of his top pair. “They’re both consistent.”
For the third straight match, the Wildcats were missing two of their top six singles players, Ava Crocker and Eleanor Goodhart, who were out sick, but Sholes said Addie Wright and Campbell Bond did a good job stepping in for them, despite losing, at No. 5 and 6 singles and at No. 3 doubles.
RC is scheduled to have a rematch at Broadway on Friday, April 19. “I think we can get them next time,” said Sholes.
With no matches this week, the Wildcats will have extra time to practice before returning to district action at home against Harrisonburg on Tuesday. They’ll then play their first road match the following Tuesday, April 9, when they travel to Spotswood. All matches are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Broadway 5, RC 4
SINGLES – Maya Bacon (B) d. Corinna Allen (RC) 9-7; Julia Newhall (RC) d. Deanna Chapman (B) 8-6; Sydney Remington (RC) d. Maggie Roberts (B) 8-6; Katherine Lotts (RC) d. Rose Cox (B) 8-2; Clara Denman (B) d. Addie Wright (RC) 8-1; Tessa Bacon (B) d. Campbell Bond (RC) 8-4.
DOUBLES – Allen and Newhall (RC) d. M. Bacon and Roberts (B) 8-4; Chapman and Denman (B) d. Remington and Lotts (RC) 8-6; T. Bacon and Cox (B) d. Wright and Bond (RC) 8-4.
