CHARLESTON -- Huntington High and Cabell Midland are right in the heart of the race for the Class AAA girls' state tennis title while several local players will compete for individual titles as well today at the Kanawha City Community Center Tennis Courts.
Huntington is currently in third place with nine points, just one behind leaders George Washington and Parkersburg.
However, potentially more impressive is the effort that has been put forth by Cabell Midland's girls thus far. Despite having just two girls in the entire tournament, the Knights are tied for fourth with eight points and have a pair of girls in championship matches.
"I was extremely proud of both of them," Cabell Midland coach Cynthia Machmer said. "They went out on a mission and accomplished what they wanted to do."
Cabell Midland's duo of Stephanie Fox and Bethany Law have gone a combined 6-0 in singles play. The duo also advanced to the semifinals at No. 1 doubles before falling to the George Washington tandem of Erica White and Alyssa Hackworth, 6-2, 6-3.
The duos from Cabell Midland and George Washington saw a lot of each other on the afternoon with Fox and Law getting the best of the singles action.
Fox locked up with White in one of the day's most anticipated matches as dozens of onlookers crammed into the balcony above the court. Fox dropped the first set 6-3, but came back with a vengeance, winning the final two sets 6-2 and 6-3 to advance to the final.
For the freshman Fox, it was all about focus.
"My nerves were crazy and I was really tight," Fox said. "I told myself to shut up and just play."
After a couple of adjustments, Fox used her powerful forehand to keep White off-balance, then attacked the net to gain the victory. She will face Parkersburg's Alex Bush in one of today's first matches.
While Fox was picking up a win, Law was also getting the Knights a key victory over the Patriots. Law dominated from the outset of her match, overpowering Hackworth 6-2, 6-1 to move into the finals against Jefferson's Christina Hammond.
For Fox, it is her second consecutive season in the finals, but this season is extra special. A torn stomach muscle at the beginning of the season jeopardized her chances, but with therapy and patience, she is back in the season's finale.
"I'm just thrilled to be back. For three months, I didn't get to hit at all," Law said. "At the beginning it was tough because I was afraid to reinjure it. I was trying to get back, but I knew I had to go slow."
On a day where matches moved to a best-of-3 set format and rain set in, Fox and Law each got to spend some time visiting with friends from Huntington High's squad.
They will be able to do so once again today as the Highlanders also have a pair of girls in the tournament finals.
Sarah Cummings defeated University's Jackie Gacek 6-1, 6-2 to move into the championship against George Washington's Cathy Liu.
It will not be the first time in the tournament that the two have met. Cummings and doubles partner Allie Steel defeated Liu and White 8-6 in the first match before besting Jefferson's Stephanie Crum and Teal Pindell 6-4, 6-2 to move into the title match.
"They played really well again tonight," Huntington girls coach Jim Cummings said. "We made a couple changes in alignment, got more aggressive at the net and beat a team we hadn't beat all year."
Huntington will also have a state finalist in No. 1 doubles on the boys' side as Ross Evans and Darius Hadi won a pair of matches on Friday. In the day's first match, Evans and Hadi defeated Jefferson's tandem 8-4 before moving outside to dispose of Parkersburg South, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). They will meet George Washington's Chris Pratt and Cameron Harmon in the finals.
For Evans, it will be a chance to exact a little revenge after falling to Pratt 6-4, 6-3 in singles action. Hadi also lost his semifinal match with GW's Logan Spears 6-3, 6-3.
"Those two have worked really hard this year, and they continue to get better and better," Huntington boys coach Bruce Senior said. "That's a good job after losing a pair of tough singles matches to get it back together and be ready for doubles."
On the Class AA/A boys' side, Huntington St. Joseph's Rich Meade advanced to the semifinals after defeating Wheeling Central's Hugo Andreini, 8-2. However, Meade fell to Bluefield's Chad Brady, 6-1, 6-2 in the semis.
Meade and teammate Wade McGlone also made a semifinal appearance at No. 1 doubles after defeating Andreini and Jeremy Jao, but Brady and teammate Cory Warner were too much in the semis, defeating the Irish pair 6-2, 6-3.
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