CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Women’s Tennis Individual Championships concluded Saturday at four locations. Below are recaps from each championship.
1A Championships
At the Cary Tennis Center, Lucia Neves from Bishop McGuinness won the 1A Singles Championship with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Sasha Korjova from Triangle Math and Science Academy. Neves is the first Villain to win a Women’s Singles Championship since Morgan Auger in 2014.
Neves advanced to the finals by beating Karolina Pittman from Rosewood 6-0, 6-0 in the first round and Manya Nallagangu from NCSSM (Morganton) 6-2, 6-0 in the second round. Korjova, who won the 1A Doubles Championship last year with Brianna Viets, beat Lynn Meadows from Mount Airy 6-1, 6-1 in the first round and Highland Tech’s Madison Darnell 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.
In the Doubles Championship, Mount Airy’s Carrie Marion and Audrey Brown beat East Wilkes’ Ava Darnell and Emerson Simmons 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday morning to win the 1A title. The win is the third state title for Mario, as she won the singles title in 2022 and won the doubles championship with Ella Bryant in 2021.
Marion and Brown dropped just one set on the way to winning the title and just nine games over the weekend of competition. They beat Eliza Jones and Valeria Gonzalez from Southside 6-0,6-0 in the first round and NCSSM Morganton’s Ananya Sriram and Will Levine 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 in the semifinals. Darnell and Simmons reached the final by beating Bailea Marley and Leah Covington from North Moore 6-0, 6-0 in the first round and Kendall Herr and Adelaide Jernigan 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.
2A Championships
At Ting Park in Holly Springs, Pine Lake Prep freshman Mallory Aull beat Seaforth’s Lillian McFall in the championship match to claim the 2A Singles Championship. Aull dropped just seven games in her four matches over the weekend. She beat East Burke’s Braelyn Stilwell 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals, and on Friday, she beat Research Triangle’s Eliza Basch 6-1, 6-1, and East Davidson’s Nikki Beal 6-0, 6-0.
McFall topped Shelbys’ Anna Scweppe 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals, Community School of Davidson’s Jadan Rounds 7-6 [7-2], 7-6 [7-4] in the second round and Ayden-Grifton’s Kaitylyn Wood 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round.
In the Doubles Championship Research Triangle’s Victoria Zhou and Alexis Zhao topped Cora Wymbs and Isabella Hocker from NCSSM Durham 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday to win the 2A title. The championship is the first 2A doubles championship for Research Triangle, Sabrina Grewal and Olivia Hankinson won the 1A doubles title in the 2020-21 season.
Zhou and Zhao lost just 11 games in their four matches this weekend. They beat North Johnston’s Sydney Daughtry and Camden Ford 6-0, 6-1 in the first round, Neely and Liz Campbell from Maiden 6-3, 6-0 in the second round, and Mackenzie and Marissa Pendleton 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Wymbs and Hocker reached the finals after beating Salisbury’s Lucy Barr and Meredith Williams in semis, Hendersonville’s Raleigh Prichard and Reese Redden 6-5, 7-6 [7-1] in the second round, and Manteo’s Natalia Buchta and Cora Walker 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
3A Championships
At the Burlington Tennis Center, Terry Sanford swept the day as Pauline Bui edged Carrboro’s Ryan Hanes 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the 3A Singles Championship match. The win is the second NCHSAA tennis title for Bui as she teamed with Loren Galaviz to win the doubles championship last season.
Bui beat Williams’ Abigail Brown 6-4, 6-0 in the semifinals, Lake Norman Charter’s Kate Champion 6-1, 6-0 in the second round and West Carteret’s Sasha Baker 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round. Ryan Hanes advanced to the championship match after beating Southern Lee’s Genesis Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. On Friday, Hanes beat East Lincoln’s Karsyn Sink 6-3, 6-0 and Hunt’s Reagan Owens 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In the Doubles Championship, Terry Sanford’s Loren Galaviz and Jenny Wang beat East Lincoln’s Molly McGuirk and Sidney Dann 6-2, 7-6 (2) to win the 3A Doubles Championship. It is the second doubles title in a row for Galaviz as she teamed with Pauline Bui last season to win the championship. It is the fourth women’s doubles title for Terry Sanford.
Galaviz and Wang beat Cape Fear’s Shea Bieniek and Andi Brinker 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals, Franklin’s Abigail Angel and Kate Phillips 6-3, 6-2 in the second round and Fike’s Zoe Mitchell and Emory Skinner 6-1, 6-1 in the first round
Runner-ups McGuirk and Dann beat Lake Norman Charter’s Luci and Anslee Falls 6-2, 6-7 [0], 7-5 in the semifinals, Carrboro’s Morgan Stowel and Fin Sparks 6-2, 7-5 and Atkins’ Lilyann and Rosalyn Chen 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.
4A Championships
At Millbrook Exchange, Addi McDowell won the first Women’s Tennis Singles Championship for C.E. Jordan since 1988 as she beat Myers Park’s Teagan Reilly 6-0, 6-2 in the championship match. McDowell beat Cardinal Gibbons’ Celeste Davis 6-3, 6-1 on Saturday morning to reach the finals, and on Friday, she beat Charlotte Catholic’s Ella Davis 6-1, 6-1 and Broughton’s Rankin Barnhill 6-1,6-3.
Reilly beat Shreya Uniyal from Holly Springs 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals and topped Gibbons’ Anya Aga 6-0, 6-3 and Grimsley’s Sukie Want 6-1, 6-1 on Friday.
In the Doubles Championship, New Hanover’s Sophia Catino and Hanna Davis knocked off Myers Park’s Kayla Nofziger and Agnes Shin 6-1, 6-4 in the championship match to claim the title. The win is the first individual women’s title for New Hanover and only the second appearance in a championship match.
In the semifinals, Catino and Davis Apex Friendship’s Carolyn Izod and Emma Cyrus 6-4, 6-3. Izod was a part of the duo that won the 4A title last season. On Friday, Catino and Davis beat Panther Creek’s Omisha Shinha and Tanvi Komaragiri 6-1, 6-1, and Charlotte Catholic’s Madison McWilliams and Anna Groccia 6-0, 6-0.
Nofziger and Shinn edged Cardinal Gibbons’ Claire Stewart and Lilly Heiden 7-6 [7-3], 6-4 in the semifinals, and Green Hope’s Brianna Stewart and Haining Xia 7-6 [7-3], 3-6, 6-4 after a first-round bye.
