ASHEVILLE, R.J. REYNOLDS WIN IN DRAMATIC 5-4 FASHION; NEWTON-CONOVER, MOUNT AIRY ALSO TAKE TITLES
BURLINGTON – Both the 3-A and the 4-A finals in the 20th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state dual team tennis championships went down to the last doubles match on Saturday at the Burlington Tennis Center.
The Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds number-three doubles team of Dillon Segur and Dale Fetterman outlasted Raleigh Broughton’s Andrew Waddell and Alex Pollack 10-8 to secure a narrow 5-4 victory in the 4-A championship.
The teams had split the six singles matches, with the number-one player for Reynolds, Robbie Mudge, unable to play due to injury. The 2009 4-A singles champion, Mudge also missed last weekend’s individual tournament because of the foot injury. But Reynolds responded by winning two of the three doubles matches to take the title after finishing second to Raleigh Millbrook a year ago.
Reynolds finished 19-2 overall while Broughton wound up 24-2. The Caps were in the finals for the 12th time, with eight state crowns, but it was their first final since 2007.
Cardinal Gibbons was bidding for its fifth straight state title, this time at the 3-A level after winning four straight as a 2-A school. But Asheville swept all three doubles match to rally for a 5-4 victory.
The number-one doubles match was the last to finish and was the clincher. Morris Porter and Tito Poplowski of Asheville won a dramatic tiebreaker 10-8 to take an 11-10 pro-set victory over Chris Geaslen and Matt Daly, who were the state 3-A doubles runners-up last weekend.
Asheville, whose only other appearance in the men’s dual team finals was back in 1996, when it won the 3-A title, finished 19-1 overall while Cardinal Gibbons was 22-5.
Newton-Conover had little trouble earning its first men’s dual team state title after three consecutive runner-up finishes, as the Red Devils rolled past Pittsboro Northwood 5-0.
Newton-Conover won five singles matches in convincing straight-set style to finish the year with a perfect 25-0 dual team record. Northwood wound up 15-7 overall.
Mount Airy and Durham’s North Carolina School of Science and Math had to battle into doubles after splitting the six singles matches, but Mount Airy grabbed two wins in doubles and took a 5-3 triumph.
It was Mount Airy’s fourth men’s dual team state title and the Granite Bears completed a 16-2 campaign. NCSSM suffered its first loss after 19 victories.
Wendy’s is the presenting sponsor of the NCHSAA sports program.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2010 MEN’S DUAL TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Burlington Tennis Center
CLASS 1-A: Mount Airy 5, Durham North Carolina School of Science and Math 3
Singles: Nicholas John (MA) def. Will Jackson 6-1, 6-2; George Zhao (NCSSM) def. Matt Kessler 6-3, 3-6, (10-6); Eric Belton (MA) def. Anson Lewis 3-6, 6-1, (10-3); Brooks Mayberry (MA) def. Kevin Huang 6-4, 7-5; Seon Kang (NCSSM) def. Chance Hall 6-2, 6-3; Justin Harden (NCSSM) def. Taylor Bobbitt 7-6(6), 6-4.
Doubles: John-Mayberry (MA) def. Jackson-Zhao 10-4; Kessler-Belton (MA) def. Huang-Kang 10-3; Lewis-Harden (NCSSM) led Hall-Bobbitt 9-5, DNF with match outcome decided.
CLASS 2-A: Newton-Conover 5, Pittsboro Northwood 0
Singles: Will Huggins (N-C) led Trevor Cox 6-2, 6-6 (3-3) but DNF with match outcome decided; Hang Lak Choi (N-C) def. Thomas Delafield 6-1, 6-2; Ryan Lampe (N-C) def. Frederico DeMichele 6-1, 6-1; John Reid (N-C) def. Christian Manhard 6-1, 6-4; Dillon Cervantes (N-C) def. Jacky Dufour 6-2, 6-2; Austin Adams (N-C) def. Ryan Smith 6-1, 6-0.
Doubles: not played.
CLASS 3-A: Asheville 5, Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 4
Singles: Stuart Depaolo (A) def. Chris Geaslen 6-2, 6-0; Tito Poplowski (A) def. Matt Daly 2-6, 6-2, (10-6), Killian Steer (CG) def. Morris Porter 6-1, 6-2; Greg Galush (CG) def. Leon Poplowski 6-1, 7-5; Andrew Rinderer (CG) def. Will Lewis 6-1, 6-2; Pierce Beary (CG) def. David Howerton 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles: Porter-T. Poplowski (A) def. Geaslen-Daly 11-10 (8), Depaolo-L. Poplawski (A) def. Steer-Galush 10-2; Lewis-Howerton (A) def. Rinderer-Beary 10-8.
CLASS 4-A: Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds 5, Raleigh Broughton 4
Singles: James Coxe (B) def. Parker Chang 6-4, 6-3; Dillon Segur (RJR) def. Steed Johnson 6-1, 7-6 (8); Chad Hoskins (RJR) def. Phil Cardella 6-2, 6-1; Kevin Le (RJR) def. Staats Battle 6-2, 1-6, (10-7); Andrew Waddell (B) def. Dale Fetterman 6-1, 6-1; Alex Pollack (B) def. Harrison Daubert 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles: Coxe-Johnson (B) def. Hoskins-Tommy Healy 10-3; Chang-Le (RJR) def. Cardella-Battle 10-3; Segur-Fetterman (RJR) def. Waddell-Pollack 10-8.
