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Rockbridge County High School junior boys tennis players Nic Faulds and Nic Vargas teamed up to pull off an upset win over Spotswood’s top duo in the Valley District doubles championship match last Wednesday at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater. In the district singles tournament the day before at TA, Vargas, in his first year playing high school tennis was the runner-up.
As the second seed in the doubles tournament, Vargas and Faulds stunned top-seeded Jackson Knight and Cameron Cooley 7-6 (7-5 tiebreak), 6-0. The Spotswood pair was going for its second straight title, but Vargas and Faulds had other plans.
The championship match was tight in the first set, with Spotswood leading 5-4. The Spotswood pair was then 30-0, two points away from taking the first set, when the Wildcats battled back and broke serve. The set went to a tiebreak, and Vargas and Faulds won 7-5. “Minimal difference,” said RC head coach Scott Youngdahl, in his first year of coaching the Wildcats. “A missed shot here or there, but a lot of winners, too, for both teams.”
The RC pair then broke serve in the first game of the second set, held serve and broke serve again after being down 30-0 to take a 3-0 lead in games. “I smelled blood and told my fellow coaches that I wanted a bagel [6-0 set win],” said Youngdahl. “The lads delivered. They played intelligently and took the net from them. Many first serve and volley winners.”
To get to the championship match, Vargas and Faulds beat TA’s Levi Waidelich and Carter Alley 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals. “We suffered some serving hiccups, but were able to dictate play,” said Youngdahl.”
“I am so happy for these two Nics,” added Youngdahl. “They are growing into a potent team, and they have shown themselves to be great teammates with lots of positivity and energy.
In singles on Tuesday of last week, Vargas, RC’s No. 1 singles player, beat a Broadway player 6-4, 6-3 by playing more consistently.
Vargas then faced Spotswood’s Jackson Knight and suffered a 6-1, 6-4 loss as Knight defended his title.
“He’d dug in for the second set, and it was a battle,” said Youngdahl of Vargas. He noted that Vargas crushed back-to-back service winners and was one point from tying the second set 5-5, but Knight held on to win. “Nic was playing some very good tennis,” said Youngdahl.
He said two coaches told him “that it was the highest-level tennis they’ve seen at the high school level.”
In singles, Vargas’s record is 14-4. Vargas will await his draw in the Region 3C singles tournament, and he and Faulds will advance to the Regional 3C doubles tournament.
As a team, after going 10-6 during the regular season and 5-5 in the Valley District, the Wildcats were scheduled to play at Liberty Christian Academy in the Region 3C quarterfinals on Monday afternoon. For postseason updates, visit www. thenews-gazette.com.
