Court drama

By ROCKY STANLEY -- The Independent

ASHLAND May 18, 2008 07:54 am

— Nail-biting was the order of the day at the 16th Region Tennis Tournament finals.
Both team championships hung in the balance amid rollercoaster matches Saturday on the Ashland Tennis Center’s outdoor courts.
After many extended rallies, Ashland’s boys and Russell’s girls came away with their eighth consecutive regional titles.
In a head-to-head matchup to determine the boys’ winner, Ashland’s Jeff Nelson and Greg Geremia fended off two set points and defeated Russell’s Alex and Austin Christie 6-2, 7-5.
“It means so much to me,’’ said Nelson, a junior and two-time regional doubles champ. “I have a lot of pride in my school. We knew we had to have this match. It’s been my goal this year to take us to state.’’
Similarly, Russell’s girls had some anxious moments before getting past Boyd County.
Tori Powell and Andrea Wise, the top-seeded doubles team, needed a strong finish to defeat Boyd County’s Hannah Cooksey and Holly Jude 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 for the title clincher.
“We came back,’’ Powell said. “It’s just a big honor to win the regional championship again and be able to take our team to Lexington.’’
Regional team winners automatically advance their top two singles players and No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams to the State Tournament this week. Individual champions and runner-up finishers are also guaranteed spots, along with some additional qualifiers.
Fittingly, the regional tournament ended with a marathon for the girls’ singles crown. Russell’s Claire Spradlin outlasted defending champion Brooke Helms of Boyd County 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 in a showdown of junior standouts.
“It was a really tough battle,’’ said Spradlin, the No. 2 seed. “Brooke played very well. She started coming back in the second set and I got a cramp in my right calf. The whole match was just exciting.’’
Helms, down 5-3 in the third set, saved a match point and went on to win the game. She took the next game on a service winner and the set eventually went to a tiebreaker. Spradlin reeled off the first five points, then Helms answered with three of her own. Finally, Spradlin prevailed 7-4.
“Claire played a wonderful match,’’ said Russell coach Melissa Epling. “Both of them are very competitive.’’
Spradlin, ranked ninth in the Kentucky 18s, beat Helms for the first time in four meetings this year.
“I’ve been training hard at Bellefonte and playing Southern tournaments,’’ Spradlin said. “Putting in all that time has really helped me.’’
The three-hour battle with Helms reminded Spradlin of another recent match.
“A couple of weeks ago, I beat Jessica Wise 10-8 in the third set at a Bullfrog tournament in South Carolina,’’ Spradlin said. “But this one had a lot of 20-ball rallies. I just had to step up and win.’’
Saturday’s victory marked the third regional title in a row for Spradlin, who won doubles the past two years with Monica Vermani.
Powell, a senior, and freshman Andrea Wise made it three doubles championships in a row for Russell. Powell and Wise remained unbeaten this season with a strong third set after Boyd County’s Cooksey and Jude rallied to even the match.
“I think we were confident we could do it,’’ said Wise, who had to rush away after the awards ceremony to play violin in an orchestra concert in Central Park.
Ashland’s boys kept their regional streak intact by sweeping the singles and doubles titles. Sophomore Stephen Metcalf rolled to the singles championship on Friday night, then Nelson and Geremia did their part.
“It’s very satisfying, because we felt Russell maybe was deeper than us,’’ said Tomcats coach Eddie Sizemore. “We felt we needed to win the singles and doubles to have a chance. That’s what had to happen.’’
Nelson’s toughness and tournament experience helped pull the Tomcats through the decisive doubles final.
“He’s a physical beast, and the mental side of his game really came along this year,’’ Sizemore said. “Jeff knows when to hit hard and when to hit a high ball.’’
Russell’s Christie brothers made it interesting by winning the first three games of the second set and taking a 5-3 lead. But Nelson and Geremia saved two set points in the next game and went on to finish out the match.
“It feels great,’’ Nelson said. “We had a lot of good competition. They (Christies) made us play. It was like hitting against a wall. We had to focus on fundamentals and ball placement.’’
Geremia, a freshman, was happy to play a key role in another Tomcat regional championship.
“It’s amazing,’’ he said. “I’m glad I went to Ashland so I could be a part of this. I think I upped my game a little bit even though I could have moved better today.’’
Sizemore praised Geremia’s impact in his first high school season.
“He has doubles skills,’’ said Ashland’s coach. “You don’t see that very often with a freshman. Greg has never been in a team situation like this. All of us have played in tournaments, but the pressure of a high school team match is more. Looking at it like that, he handled it extremely well.’’
ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.

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