WEST LIBERTY - In tennis where it is 1-on-1 or 2-on-2, it's often hard to focus on the ''team'' aspect of the sport, especially when much of the attention centers around the No. 1 or No. 2 players.
Friday in the West Virginia Class AA/A Region One Tournament, Wheeling Central coach Peggy Dailer saw firsthand just how important of a part the lower-ranked players can play.
Jonathan Haley and Daniel Lee won at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively, as well as teaming up to capture the No. 2 Doubles title. On the girls' side, Christine Gompers won at No. 4 singles.
Article Photos
Photo by Josh Strope
Parkersburg Catholic’s Ariel Shulman won the No. 1 singles 8-0 against Wheeling Central’s Natalie Capito at the Class AA/A Region One tennis tournament in Wheeling Friday.
Those deep runs helped the Maroon Knights capture both Region One championships, sending eight total players to next week's state tournament in Charleston.
Dailer was especially happy for Gompers, a senior that didn't make the trip last season. She was up 5-2 in the final against Parkersburg Catholic's Erica Tracewell.
Tracewell came back and took the lead but Gompers regained it and held on, 9-7.
Fact Box
Class AAA, Region IV
At Erickson All-Sports Facility
Boys
Team standings: 1. Huntington 28; 2. Parkersburg 18; 3. Hurricane 14; 4. Parkersburg South 10; 5. Cabell Midland 6; 6. Nitro 4; 7. Ripley 3; 8. Spring Valley 1. Winfield did not score.
No. 1 singles (Top 4 advance)
Semifinals: Hunter Tubert (Hunt) d. Matt Gnegy (PHS) 8-2; Joe Holland (South) d. Reid Bailey (Hurr) 8-5
Consolation: Reid Bailey (Hurr) d. Matt Gnegy (PHS) 9-7
Championship: Hunter Tubert (Hunt) d. Joe Holland (South) 8-1
No. 2 singles (Top 3 advance)
Semifinals: Robert Skolik (Hunt) d. Brandon Galici (South) 8-1; Alex Clay (Hurr) d. Ashton Whiteleather (PHS) 8-3
Consolation: Brandon Galici (South) d. Ashton Whiteleather (PHS) 8-5
Championship: Robert Skolik (Hunt) d. Alex Clay (Hurr) 8-5
No. 3 singles (Top 2 advance)
Semifinals: Josh Clay (Hunt) d. Joey Newfield (CM) 8-1; Samman Ghodsi (PHS) d. Jordan Chapman (Hurr) 8-2
Championship: Josh Clay (Hunt) d. Saaman Ghodsi (PHS) 8-1
No. 4 singles (Winner advances)
Semifinals: Alex D'Costa (PHS) d. Garrett Volk (N) 8-0; Bill Wright (Hunt) d. Noah Weber (CM) 8-1
Championship: Bill Wright (Hunt) d. Alex D'Costa (PHS) 8-4
No. 1 doubles (Top 3 advance)
Semifinals: Tubert-Skolik (Hunt) d. Holland-Galici (South) 8-1; Bailey-Clay (Hurr) d. Gnegy-Whiteleather (PHS) 8-6
Consolation: Gnegy-Whiteleather (PHS) d. Holland-Galici (South) 8-3
Championship: Tubert-Skolik (Hunt) d. Bailey-Clay (Hurr) 8-3
No. 2 doubles (Top 2 advance)
Semifinals: Wright-Gilliam (Hunt) d. Dailey-Tebay (South) 8-2; Ghodsi-D'Costa (PHS) d. Chapman-Williams (Hurr) 8-4
Championship: Wright-Gilliam (Hunt) d. Ghodsi-D'Costa (PHS) 8-4
No. 3 doubles (Winner advances)
Semifinals: Clay-Neighborgall (Hunt) d. Sayer-Hatfield (Hurr) 8-0; Carder-Stone (PHS) d. Comer-Kuhn (CM) 8-6
Championship: Clay-Neighborgall (Hunt) d. Carden-Stone (PHS) 8-3
Girls
Team standings:1. Huntington 25; 2. Parkersburg 21; 3. Hurricane 12; 4. Nitro 7; 5. (tie) Ripley and Parkersburg South 6; 7. Cabell Midland 5; 8. Winfield 1. Spring Valley did not score.
No. 1 singles (Top 4 advance)
Semifinals: Cassie Mercer (Hunt) d. Emily Munson (R) 8-0; Sloane Prince (PHS) d. Gabriella Beam (CM) 8-4
Consolation: Gabriella Beam (CM) d. Emily Munson (R) 8-3
Championship: Cassie Mercer (Hunt) d. Sloane Prince (PHS) 8-0
No. 2 singles (Top 3 advance)
Semifinals: Cassandra Powell (PHS) d. Maya Thompson (CM) 8-1; Kate Huck (Hunt) d. Kayla McKnight (Hurr) 8-6
Consolation: Makayla McKnight (Hurr) d. Maya Thompson (CM) 8-4
Championship: Cassandra Powell (PHS) d. Kate Huck (Hunt) 8-1
No. 3 singles (Top 2 advance)
Semifinals: Monika Keiser (PHS) d. Olivia Osborn (South) 8-2; Katelyn McGuffin (Hunt) d. Natalie Dotsenko (N) 8-2
Championship: Katelyn McGuffin (Hunt) d. Monika Keiser (PHS) 8-5
No. 4 singles (Winner advances)
Semifinals: Rachele Subik (Hunt) d. Megan Lawrence (N) 8-1; Stephanie Spaulding (Hurr) d. Regan Russell (South) 8-1
Championship: Rachele Subik (Hunt) d. Stephanie Spaulding (Hurr) 8-0
No. 1 doubles (Top 3 advance)
Semifinals: Mercer-Huck (Hunt) d. Mongilio-Hanlon (South) 8-1; Prince-Keiser (PHS) d. Yao-McKnight (Hurr) 8-3
Consolation: Yao-McKnight (Hurr) d. Mongilio-Hanlon (South) 8-1
Championship: Mercer-Huck (Hunt) d. Prince-Keiser (PHS) 8-2
No. 2 doubles (Top 2 advance)
Quarterfinals (Carry-over from Thursday): Powell-Stansberry (PHS) d. Chapman-Smith (CM) 8-0
Semifinals: Powell-Stansberry (PHS) d. Dotsenko-Lawrence (N) 8-0; McGuffin-Hutchinson (Hunt) d. Berardi-Spaulding (Hurr) 8-4
Championship: Powell-Stansberry (PHS) d. McGuffin-Hutchinson (Hunt) 8-5
No. 3 doubles (Winner advances)
Quarterfinals (Carry-over from Thursday): Kesterson-Riffle (PHS) d. Bennett-Cox (South) 8-0
Semifinals: Subik-Konrad (Hunt) d. Brown-Clark (Hurr) 8-0; Kesterson-Riffle (PHS) d. Villers-Poultney (R) 8-3
Championship: Kesterson-Riffle (PHS) d. Subik-Konrad (Hunt) 8-4
West Virginia Region One
Tennis Tournament
Class AA/A
(at West Liberty)
Boys
Wheeling Central 18, Weirton Madonna 14, Oak Glen 14, Williamstown 10, Point Pleasant 10, Parkersburg Catholic 8, Ritchie County 4, St. Marys 3, Ravenswood 2
No. 1
Final: N. Conforti (WM) d. Flanagan (W), 9-7. Consolation: Mayles (WC) d. Cardenas (PC), 8-4
No. 2
Final: M.Conforti (WM) d. Brown (OG), 8-4. Consolation: Leo (W) d. Cardenas, 8-2.
No. 3
Haley (WC) d. Lehman (OG), 8-6
No. 4
Lee (WC) d. Parsons (PP), 806.
Doubles
No. 1
Conforti-Conforti (WM) d. Mayles-Szeligo (WC), 8-6; Consolation: Cardenas-Cardenas (PC) d. Flanagan-Leo (W), 8-4.
No. 2
Haley-Lee (WC) d. Leo-Gedon (W) d. 8-5
No. 3
Bennett-Adkins (OG) d. Thomas-Cline (PP), 8-6.
Girls
Wheeling Central 20, Parkersburg Catholic 16, Ravenswood 15, Ritchie County 8, Williamstown 7, Weirton Madonna 6, Oak Glen 6, Point Pleasant 5.
Singles
No. 1
Final: Shulman (PC) d. N.Capito (WC), 8-0 Consolation: Mueller (RC) d. McCormick, 8-2
No. 2
Final: J.Capito (WC) d. Youell (R), 8-4; Consolation: Haught (RC) d. Krauss (OG), 8-4.
No. 3
Spurlock (OG) d. Jenkins (WC), 9-8 (7)
No. 4
Gompers (WC) d. Tracewell (PC), 9-7.
Doubles
No. 1
Final: Mueller-Haught (RC) d. N.Capito-J.Capito (WC), 8-4; Consolation: Shulman-Wiseman (PC) d. McNabb-Gurtis (R), 8-1
No. 2
Youell-McNabb (R) d. Wiseman-Tracewell (RC), 8-3
No. 3
Clowes-Eisenmann (PC) d. Neely-Bayless (W), 8-3
'Haley defeated Oak Glen's Josh Lehman,8-6, for the No. 3 title (Lehman still gets to go as the finalists at No. 3 are qualifiers) and Lee topped Point Pleasant's Josh Parsons, 8-6, to capture the lone No. 4 Singles spot.
They teamed together to beat Ryan Leo and Alex Gedon of Williamstown, 8-5.
Wheeling Central won the girls' title with 20 points, four ahead of runner-up Parkersburg Catholic. The boys' side had 18 points, as Weirton Madonna and Oak Glen finished tied for second with 14 points.
It wasn't just the younger players that did it for Wheeling Central as state runner-up at No. 2 Singles, Joanna Capito, captured her second straight regional championship, beating Taylor Youell of Ravenswood, 8-4, in the finals.
Wheeling Central had a player in each of the four girls' singles finals. Natalie Capito (No. 1) fell to Parkersburg Catholic freshman Ariel Shulman, 8-0, and Brynn Jenkins (No. 3) lost to Oak Glen's Haley Spurlock in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (7).
The top two singles titles and No. 1 Doubles crown on the boys' side reside in the Conforti household.
Nick Conforti didn't qualify for the singles tournament last season but won his first regional title when the junior bested Williamstown's Luke Flanagan, 9-7, in the finals.
His younger brother Matt, who had a solid showing last season in Charleston as a freshman, won at No. 2 Singles by beating Oak Glen's Zach Brown, 8-4.
Kate Clowes and Audrey Eisenmann of Parkersburg Catholic were the No. 3 doubles champs.
