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The curtain closed on the Rockbridge County High School girls tennis team last week, with Corinna Allen and Julia Newhall falling in the first round of the Valley District doubles tournament last Wednesday at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater. The day before at TA, Allen lost in the first round of the singles tournament.
Facing East Rockingham’s Ellen Waag, the fourth seed in the singles tournament, fifthseeded Allen suffered a 6-0, 6-2 loss. Allen, a sophomore, started to come back early in the second set, but Waag finished strong for the win. In the semifinals, Waag lost to Spotswood’s Raygan Wade, who went on to win her second straight district title.
In the doubles tournament, Allen and Newhall, a junior, were the fourth seed. Facing fifth-seeded Maya Bacon and Maggie Roberts of Broadway, the RC pair suffered a 6-2, 6-2 loss.
Praising his top duo, RC head coach Mark Sholes said, “They hung in there the best that they could, despite Julia having to struggle with some allergy symptoms.”
In the semifinals, Broadway’s pair fell to Spotswood’s Wade and Ella Li, who went on to defend their district title.
As a team, in their first year under the direction of Sholes, the Wildcats finished their season at 4-10 overall and 0-10 in the Valley District. The Wildcats won the season series with Staunton and local rival Parry McCluer, beaching each foe twice.
“For the season in general, I was happy to see how the girls improved each day and how each one stepped up and played in matches where some of the top-ranked players were unable to play,” said Sholes.
The Wildcats will graduate two seniors, Katherine Lotts and Addie Wright, who were valuable contributors in singles and doubles. “It has been a pleasure coaching these girls all season, and seeing them have fun at practice and improve their skills in tennis every match,” said Sholes of Lotts and Wright. “They were very dedicated in showing up to practice and games, and they both had the best attitude that a coach could want on and off the court. They surely will be missed by the team and me as the coach.”
