Stories

Western marches on

Western Albemarle’s celebration was a bit muted. But who can blame the Warriors, nobody needs to tell them to act like they’ve been there before — they have, many times.

Western wrapped up yet another Jefferson District boys tennis title as the three-time defending state champions rolled 5-0 over Monticello with sophomore Tom Lewis closing out the match with a 6-1, 6-0 win in the sixth spot for the Warriors.

“Today, these guys are playing well — they’re starting to peak at the right time,” said Western coach Charles Ix.

The rest of the bottom half of the ladder was strong for Western, with Andrew Loving winning at No. 4 and Will Diamond leading his tilt 6-0, 2-2 when Lewis ended the entire match.

“I’ve known those guys for awhile and I know they’re the real deal,” said Western senior Alex Preve of the lower half of the ladder. “They’ll come up big no matter what the situation, I have a lot of confidence in them going into regionals.”

Preve’s performance stood out and showed how strong the Warriors’ senior leader is coming on right now. Against Bret Diehl, who jumped out to a 6-2 lead earlier in the season in a matchup with Preve before the Western senior battled back. This time around, Preve left little in doubt, winning 6-0, 6-0 over Diehl, a savvy opponent.

“I think I’ve just gotten a lot more confident as the season has gone on,” Preve said. “I’ve learned to relax a little bit and think more about the points and let things flow a little more. Thing are really taking off.”

Preve is tall and powerful, and when he’s on fire he can pound on opponents, leaving them defenseless. Ix, who won the Jefferson’s coach of the year award, knows the feeling.

“I’ve played against him and you just feel like there’s nothing you can do,” Ix said. “It’s tough.”

Cam Scot and Teddy Nelson also held things down in the top half of the ladder for the Warriors. Scott picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win while Nelson won 6-1, 6-3. Will Diamond was in control of his match at the No. 5 spot before it was halted, leading 6-0, 2-2.

Western will next take the court in the regional quarterfinals at home at 5 p.m.

Western Albemarle 5, Monticello 0

Singles:

1. Scot(W) def Rowe: 6-4, 6-1

2. Preve(W) def Diehl: 6-0, 6-0

3. Nelson(W) def Nadkarni: 6-1, 6-3

4. Loving(W) def Sickman: 6-1, 6-1

5. Diamond(W) Lead Jae Chi: 6-0, 2-2 (stopped)

6. Lewis(W) def Mooney: 6-1, 6-0

Comments

comments