It was an unusually warm and windy day Friday when Albemarle hosted Riverbend for the Commonwealth District tournament girls tennis final.
But the conditions didn’t slow down Albemarle’s experienced lineup as they rolled 5-0 over the Bears to grab the district title.
Led by solid performances by Megan Napolitano, Tori Kuhn and Ivy Haines, the Patriots got things on track early. Abby Lesnoff and Elise Lord took a bit longer to dispatch their opponents, both having a little trouble adjusting to the windy conditions.Eva Ng also had things well in hand when she came off the court up a set and 4-1 when the match was stopped as Albemarle reached the required five wins.
It was Albemarle’s fourth title in as many years.
“We know what we are capable of…we just need to go out each match with enthusiasm and play our game,” Napolitano said. “Sometimes knowing you are expected to win can work against you and we were determined not to let that happen today
Albemarle advances as the No. 1 seed into the Northwest Region quarterfinals against Patrick Henry-Roanoke. That match is scheduled to be held at Boar’s Head Sports Club at 2 p.m. Monday. Riverbend will also move on as the No. 2 seed, traveling to Franklin County on Monday.
Albemarle 5, Riverbend 0
Singles
1. Napolitano(A) d. Nichols 6-0, 6-1
2. Lesnoff(A) d. Leonarkis 6-3, 6-2
3. Kuhn(A) d. Edwards 6-3, 6-0
4. Lord(A) d. Klacyznski 6-2, 6-2
5. Ng(A) led Lasica 6-2, 4-1 stopped
6. Haines(A) d. Walthall 6-1, 6-1
