The varsity tennis team travelled to Dyke, VA northwest of Charlottesville to take on the Blue Ridge School tennis team in front of their Parents Weekend crowd on two newly installed courts. It was the first time that any of our players had played on a “suspended” surface, reputed to be similar to clay (a medium-slow surface). First and Second Singles and all Doubles play shared the outside two courts. The other singles competition were held indoors on a medium-fast surface.
At first singles, Cadet Dmitri Darroll was plagued by inconsistency. At second singles, Cadet Reid Dantonio was able to jump ahead 4-1 before adjustments and unforced errors took him and his opponent on a ride that went all the way to a twenty games with several stops at deuce points. Dantonio took the tie-breaker to 6-6 before reaching down to finish off the contest 10-10 (8-6). Cadets Dan Kim, Haotian Liu, and Rafael Tudela posted victories. Cadet Frankie Chang was unable to capitalize on an early lead against a determined Harrison Gant.
Due to Dantonio’s marathon at second singles, doubles play kicked with a team score of 3-2. Darroll and Liu teamed up at 2nd doubles to start off a Tiger push towards victory. But Blue Ridge and the fates that watch over Tennis on a sunny Saturday afternoon were not to be denied their chance. The Tiger duo was up 6-1 and saw their lead erode to 7-3 and then positively collapse to 7-6. With a battle on their hands, they were finally able to hold serve to put the match away at 8-6. Tudela and Wall were able to take the court after Dantonio finished his singles match and proceeded to grind out an 8-4 victory. A refreshed Dantonio and Kim finished the day with a 1st doubles match that saw strong services and quick volleys to post a business-like victory.
Our next two matches are at Fishburne Military (Monday, 29 April) and Appomattox County High (Tuesday, 30 April). The team will finish regular season play with a home match against powerhouse Eastern Mennonite School (Harrisonburg, VA) on Thursday, May 2.
Individual Match Scores:
Singles
#1 – Dmitri Darroll v Hilton Bilbrey: 3-10
#2 – Reid Dantonio v Hassan Dasuki: 10-10 (8-6)
#3 – Dan Kim v Justin Byun: 10-0
#4 – Haotian Liu v Richard Oshodin: 10-5
#5 – Frankie Chang v Harrison Gant: 4-10
#6 – Rafael Tudela v Peter Marrow: 10-3
Doubles
#1 – Dantonio and Kim v Bilbrey and Dasuki: 8-1
#2 – Darroll and Liu v Oshodin and Gant: 8-6
#3 – Tudela and Turner Wall v Byun and Marrow: 8-4
