Photo by Joe Albright Parkersburg Catholic's Hannah Sprout and Marie Discini pose with the Class AA/A runner-up trophy. The pair also won a state championship at No. 2 singles and No. 1 singles respectively, a runner-up finish in No. 1 doubles and were named to the all-state team.

When everything was said and done the Morgantown girls and George Washington boys took home the state title in Class AAA, while Winfield swept both team championships in Class AA/A.

Coming in a distant second to the Patriots was the Parkersburg High boys’ tennis team. The Big Reds entered the day in need of a lot to go right. Mostly, GW had to lose more matches then PHS did.

Not surprising with two of the most talented tennis teams in the state, three of Saturday’s seven finals matchups featured a Patriot and a Big Red.

GW won all but one of those matches.

Photo by Joe Albright Parkersburg Catholic's boys tennis team finished runner-up at the 2018 Class AA/A W.Va. High School tennis tournament Saturday at Coonskin Park. Celebrating from left to right: coach Lorie Discini, Andrew Nguyen, Aidan Roberts, Nash Morris, Mitchell Clowes, Ben Vierheller and head coach Jason Discini.

Seena Saadevandi upset George Washington’s No. 2 singles player Nadeem Jones, who qualified for the USTA Midwest Closed last season, in a match Saadevandi’s father Brahm called “the most consistent match I have ever seen him play.”

The 6-4, 6-1 win was a surprise to everyone including the younger Saadevandi, who admittedly had struggled with Jones the past two seasons. He had yet to beat the GW player.

“During the regular season I really couldn’t figure his game out,” said Saadevandi. “Obviously I did today… It was probably my best match ever. I strategically changed some things about my game and walked away with a win.”

He also joined No. 1 singles player Zarion Jones on the all-state team.

Saadevandi wasn’t finished winning however. Andrew Gnegy and he still had a date with Jefferson’s Bryce Turney and Mason Palmer in the No. 2 doubles’ final. Gnegy of course was one half of the reigning state champions. He defeated Huntington with Seena’s older brother Neema last season.

Photo by Joe Albright Parkersburg High's boys tennis team finished runner-up at the 2018 Class AAA W.Va. High School tennis tournament Saturday at Charleston Catholic's tennis facility. Celebrating from left to right in the front row: Nick McBride, Ethan Weaver, Eric Carney, Andrew Gnegy, Zarion Jones, Jacob Boone and Seena Saadevandi; back row: PHS head coach Jeff Olson.

Their match with the Cougars was merely a formality. The Big Reds’ duo had control from the first serve to championship point in a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

“It was still a lot of excitement because it was a state championship,” said Gnegy. “But I feel like I have been here before and so I kind of expected it. I wanted it to happen. That was my goal from the beginning of this season and I knew I could do it.”

On the girls’ side, the Big Reds finished just one point away from first place but had to settle for third after a third tiebreaker between them and George Washington. Each team had the same amount of state champions, and state finalists, but the Patriots had more qualifiers which gave them the runner-up trophy.

In a match the Big Reds had to have for points, No. 1 doubles players Lauren Kruger and Bairavi Sundaram started slow against the GW coupling of Nikita Patel and Jenin Al-Asadi. They fell behind by one set before a battle in the second. PHS jumped out to a 4-2 lead but in the end GW pulled out the championship win 6-1, 7-5.

Teammates Zoe Pingley and Kelsie Sanders avenged their fallen comrades in the No. 3 doubles match. Pingley and Sanders trailed only once in a 6-2, 6-3 win against two other Patriots. It was the first state title for Pingley in three tries.

“I was nervous as the season started,” recalled Pingley upon discovering she had a new doubles partner at the beginning of the season. “But Kelsie was the best doubles partner ever and we worked really well together.”

“It has been so worth it,” said Pingley of the grind to get to the top. “I can’t thank Kelsie enough for helping me get here, but I was really confident we could get it. Sophomore year I lost in the semis, last year I lost in the finals and this year I got the title so I just had to work my way up there.”

“Kelsie and Zoe really stepped up big yesterday,” said PHS coach Heidi Asbury. “Played the best they played all season to get to the finals today and then they were coming in on such a high there was no way weren’t taking that match.”

Pingley’s doubles partner from the previous two seasons Bre Offenberger ended her year as the best No. 3 singles player in the state. The senior cruised to her first title in a straight-set win over Jefferson’s Anna Ours 6-1, 6-3.

“It was definitely a perfect way to end my tennis career because I don’t plan on playing collegiately,” said Offenberger. “Knowing all the support I got – My mom and my grandma never miss a match and my team supports me – it was a really good day all in all.”

All together the Big Reds had seven finalist or someone in half the finals matches. “I am absolutely proud of them,” said PHS head coach Jeff Olson. “And it hurts a little bit for those who didn’t win.”

As for Parkersburg Catholic, Saturday marked the third year in a row the Crusaders competed for the top prize in Class AA/A. Though they just fell short, PCHS head coach Jason Discini wasn’t dismayed.

“It wasn’t a horrible day,” said the head man who saw his daughter play and win easily the shortest pro-set match of the entire tournament. “I am very, very happy with the effort. The kids played fantastic and I am so proud of all their hardwork and accomplishments this season.”

Thirty-five minutes was all Marie Discini needed in her state title defense against Huntington St. Joe’s Audrey Hearberlin 6-0, 6-1. Each point was long and competitive as both girls know each other’s games well. Yet Marie was able to end each game when she wanted to and repeat as state champion.

“I was feeling it,” said Discini who told her dad the same thing after warmups. “I had my head held high in the beginning and I knew she was a really good opponent. I was really nervous starting out. Her game is really good and in warmups I knew I was going to have a good match. She made it close even though the score didn’t reflect it.”

Though No. 1 doubles partner Hannah Sprout and she were denied a doubles title, the Crusaders still walked away with two state title winners.

Sprout, who grew less and less nervous over the three days at the tournament, impressed with a convincing championship victory over Winfield Anicah Smith in No. 2 singles.

There was no insurance built in for the General, who took home the No. 4 singles title last season. Sprout never trailed on the way to a 6-2, 6-3 win.

“I mean I thought I could win this,” said Sprout when she got up 1 set early. “I am halfway there. I just have to win this next set and I am a state champion. I didn’t expect to go up as fast as I did. I think I wore her down throughout the match but I didn’t think it was going to be that quick in the second set.

“It is just unreal. Last year I didn’t make it for singles and this year I won singles. I didn’t think I improved that much. I feel like mentally I got tougher from the past year.”

Both young ladies along with No. 1 singles player Nash Morris and No. 2 singles player Aidan Roberts were named to the all-state team. The honor was the third year in a row for Morris, a senior, and second for Marie, a sophomore.

“I am very, very happy with the effort,” said Discini of his team. “The kids played fantastic and I am so proud of all their hard work and accomplishments this season.”­