Virginia AA/A Tennis
Handley Extends Bid For 3rd Straight Crown
Handley's No. 1 player, junior Sarah Moomau, sends the Judges toward the state championship match with a straight-sets victory in Blacksburg.
(By Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)
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Saturday, June 6, 2009
BLACKSBURG, Va., June 5 -- Last year, Handley and Jamestown renewed their tennis rivalry in the Virginia AA state girls' tennis final in the sweltering heat at Radford University. The Judges overcame the elements in that match, sweeping the Eagles to win their second consecutive state title.
The teams rekindled their rivalry in Friday's state semifinals under far different conditions but with an identical result. Playing on the indoor courts of Virginia Tech's Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center, Handley fought through multiple delays and a raucous crowd following simultaneous matches and did not drop a set en route to a 5-0 victory and a third straight appearance in the state championship match.
Junior No. 1 Sarah Moomau took the court and got her team off to a strong start with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jamestown's Kelly Little. Soon after, junior Katie Gordon closed out Winston Fleishman, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 3 and minutes later, senior No. 2 Elizabeth Gardiner gave Handley a 3-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
After senior Mykenzie Garrett pushed the lead to 4-0 with a straight-sets win over Natalie Donvito (6-4, 6-1) at No. 4, senior No. 5 Lane Stickley clinched the team victory with a 6-2, 6-4 win.
"This was definitely a different experience for us," Garrett said. "It was so loud in here, it felt like a college tennis match. It was a lot more intense than we're used to, but I think we handled it pretty well."
The Judges (21-0) are trying to become the fourth team to win three consecutive state titles. The most recent team to accomplish the feat was Jamestown, which won titles from 2004 to 2006 and 2000 to 2002. In 2006, the Eagles defeated Handley in the semifinals -- a loss that fueled the Judges' 2007 state title run.
"After that match we turned the corner and decided we wanted to step up our game to make it back down here each year," Gardiner said.
Handley, which only lost one senior from last year's title team, will face Spotswood in the final at Radford.
In the Virginia A boys' semifinals, George Mason defeated Appomattox, 5-0 to advance to the state championship at Radford.
The Mustangs got wins from senior Brian Sham (6-3, 6-1), juniors Tim Goetz (6-1, 6-0) and Thomas Burnett (6-0, 6-1), sophomore Sam Waters (6-2, 6-3) and senior Chris An (6-2, 6-3). Senior Johnny Vroom (6-3, 6-2) also won his match.
George Mason will face Gate City in the final today.
Staff Writer Paul Tenorio contributed to this report.
Championship History: Handley will be making its ninth appearance in the Virginia AA state final. The Judges have won four state championships.
