The match between the Golden Eagles and Huskies, scheduled for Thursday afternoon in West Jefferson, was postponed a day because of rain. Surry Central has won all 11 of its previous MVAC matches, while Ashe County's only loss came to the Eagles by a 5-4 score earlier in the season.
An Ashe win today would forge a tie at the top of the standings, likely resulting in a coin flip for state playoff seeding. A Surry Central win would give the Eagles sole possession of the conference's top seed for the dual-team playoffs.
Central finished unbeaten in conference matches last fall. The 2007 Eagles are currently ranked No. 4 in the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association Class 2A poll. The team has been ranked all season, steadily moving up the ladder.
"We are either going to be co-champs or champs," coach Heather Venable said Wednesday after a 6-3 non-conference win over Mount Airy, which pushed the team's record to 13-0 overall. "I don't think the girls want to share it, but we are in a better position than Ashe because we can't do worse than share it."
Surry Central tuned up for the Ashe match with its second win of the season over the Granite Bears. The Eagles took four singles matches and two doubles matches.
Venable said Mount Airy was a good test for her team going into the Ashe match-up. Central beat Mount Airy 9-0 in the first meeting between the two teams.
"The 9-0 the first time was one of the tougher 9-0s we've had," Venable said. "They are a tough team and we knew they would be wanting another chance at us. Mount Airy has good players down the line, especially at the top, and this was good competition for us before Ashe."
In singles, Central got wins from Emily Perkins, Tara Dockery, Kristie Combs and Hannah Dockery. Mount Airy's Maggie McKee and Ellie Case picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
The Eagles locked up the match with doubles wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Hannah Dockery and Haley Smith defeated Case and Jordan Gwyn 8-4, and Tara Dockery and Combs downed Kelsey Hiatt and Ashley Golding 8-2. Taylor Gwyn and McKee scored Mount Airy's doubles win, beating Emily Perkins and Stephanie Doby 8-6.
The Granite Bears fell to 13-5 overall. Mount Airy coach Lindsey Mazzetti said the Bears played better than they did in the first loss to Central.
"Just the fact that we gave ourselves a shot to win it showed that," she said. "Last time it was 9-0, and this time we had a shot to win it in doubles if we take all three matches."
Both Surry Central and Mount Airy will get ready for their respective conference tournaments next week. The Mountain Valley 2A tournament will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Northwest 1A tourney will begin Monday and conclude Tuesday.
STARMOUNT 5, WILKES CENTRAL 4: The match came down to No. 2 doubles, with the final games being moved to Wilkes Community College from Wilkes Central because of darkness.
In the end, Starmount's Erin Welborn and Yesenia Najera prevailed over Rachel Rizoti and Brittany Hayes 9-8, winning the tie-breaker 7-1.The team triumph pushes the Rams to 8-4 in the MVAC, clinching third place in the league behind Surry Central and Ashe (the only teams to beat the Rams during the season).
Starmount picked up singles wins from Laura Beaver, Carla Cave and Brittany Melton. Wilkes Central also won three singles bouts, leaving things up to doubles. Cave and Melton won their doubles match at No. 3, but Beaver and Maryann Price were beaten at No. 1.
Fortunately for the Rams, Welborn and Najera came through with a hard-fought victory, owning the tie-breaker.
NORTH WILKES 8, NORTH SURRY 1: The Vikings swept singles, with Kelsey Walker, Kim Bryant, Amy Hill, Lauren Foster, Laura Newman and Amber Owens each getting victories.
The doubles tandems of Hill-Foster and Newman-Owens also won. North Surry got its lone point from its No. 1 doubles team of Alicia Wallace and Scarlet Shelton, who beat Walker and Bryant 8-6.
Surry Central 6, Mount Airy 3
Wednesday * at Dobson
SINGLES -- 1. Emily Perkins (SC) d. Taylor Gwyn 6-4, 4-6, 8-6; 2. Maggie McKee (MA) d. Stephanie Doby (SC) 2-6, 6-4, 8-6; 3. Ellie Case (MA) d. Haley Smith 6-3, 6-4; 4. Tara Dockery (SC) d. Jordan Gwyn 6-0, 6-3; 5. Kristie Combs (SC) d. Kelsey Hiatt 6-1, 6-1; 6. Hannah Dockery (SC) d. Samantha Donothan 6-0, 6-0
DOUBLES -- 1. T. Gwyn-McKee (MA) d. Perkins-Doby 8-6; 2. H. Dockery-Smith (SC) d. Case-J. Gwyn 8-4; 3. T. Dockery-Combs (SC) d. Hiatt-Ashley Golding 8-2.
Starmount 5, Wilkes Central 4
Thursday * at Moravian Falls
SINGLES -- 1. Laura Beaver (S) def. Annie Gustafson (WC) 6-2, 6-0; 2. Brittany Hayes (WC) def. Maryann Price (S) 6-3, 6-4; 3. Merri Levi (WC) def. Yesenia Najera (S) 7-5, 6-4; 4. Rachel Rizoti (WC) def. Erin Welborn (S) 6-7(7-4), 6-4, (7-5 3rd set tiebreak); 5. Carla Cave (S) def. Barbara Grave (WC) 6-1, 6-2
6. Brittany Melton (S) def. Carey Welborn (6-1, 6-4
DOUBLES -- 1. Gustafson & Levi (WC) def. Beaver & Price (S) 8-1; 2. Najera & Welborn (S) def. Rizoti & Hayes (WC) 9-8 (7-1); 3. Cave & Melton (S) def. Grave & Chelsey Abernathy (WC) 8-4.
North Wilkes 8, North Surry 1
Tuesday * at Mount Airy
SINGLES - Kelsey Walker (NW) d. Alicia Wallace 6-3, 4-6, 7-4; Kim Bryant (NW) d. Scarlet Shelton 6-2, 6-2; Amy Hill (NW) d. Ashley Reece 6-4, 6-0; Lauren Foster (NW) d. Katelyn Houston 6-0, 4-6, 7-0; Laura Newman (NW) d. Audry Wallace 6-2, 6-2; Amber Owens (NW) d. Abigail Brannock 8-6, 4-6, 7-4
DOUBLES - Alicia Wallace-Shelton (NS) d. Walker-Bryant 8-6; Hill-Foster (NW) d. Reece-Houston 8-1; Newman-Owens (NW) d. Audry Wallace-Brannock 6-4.
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