Photo by Joe Albright Williamstown’s Taylor Isaly practices for the upcoming state tennis tournament in Charleston.

Where she competed at the No. 3 singles slot and complimented No. 1 singles player Marie Discini on the top doubles team, she needn’t provide leadership. Encouragement and guidance instead came from Discini and Hannah Sprout. Both girls owned numerous appearances in the state championship matches and their confidence radiated outward.

So, not much remained for Isaly, Mackenzie Campbell or anyone else on the team to do in terms of rah-rah.

What was Isaly’s job?

“We had her paired with Marie so she played in the bigger spotlight to prepare her to step into a leadership role her junior year,” former Parkersburg Catholic tennis coach Jason Discini said.

Photo by Joe Albright Williamstown’s London Flores practices for the upcoming state tennis tournament in Charleston.

And that’s exactly what happened, albeit it at a different school. When Isaly takes the court for the Yellowjackets on Thursday, she warms up as the No. 1 starter.

“I didn’t really expect anything coming into the season, but that was my goal to try and be the top seed,” she said.

And that comes with a host of different responsibilities during the three-day event.

First and foremost, the top seed can win the most team points (four) thanks to the fact that the WVSSAC takes more No. 1s than any other bracket.

Secondly and perhaps just as important, doubles partner London Flores and she can tack on three more points as the top pairing should they advance to the final.

Lastly, she stands as the only player with previous state tournament experience on a Yellowjacket club hopeful to compete for the top prize. And there is something to be said for being the lone competitor to know how the later rounds of the tournament will go. Teaching teammates how to scout opponents prior to taking the court is a big help and can eliminate a lot of headaches.

Demanding as those may be, the junior approaches them with a healthy, exciting pressure because she knows what she needs to do.

Should she get down on herself anytime in Charleston, there are a number of past experiences she can look at to remind herself anything is possible.

Back in 2019, she nearly fell in the regional tournament before making a rousing comeback to advance to the state tournament.

Then, once in Charleston, she fell behind three games before rallying back for a victory in the opening round, which ultimately propelled her to the finals.

Yet, she isn’t planning on anything being so overwhelming that she needs a blast from the past. “I am just taking it one match at a time and just trying my best,” she said.

Her coaches certainly believe she’s capable of leading their squad to the top of the mountain. “She definitely benefited from her time with Marie and has grown into a leader,” head coach Diana Leo said.

Of course, Isaly can’t win the state championship all on her own, but she doesn’t need to worry about that. All of her teammates join her at the Charleston Catholic tennis center.

No. 2 singles’ player Flores’ warm up may not have gone exactly how she planned, with some regional scores closer than other. But the younger sister of former Jacket tennis player India, enters the state tournament on a high note.

And if Flores comes in flying high, then No. 3 seed Lauren Strobel and No. 4 seed Audrey Fenton are on cloud nine. The two combined to beat their six regional opponents by a combined score of 36-3 on the way to claiming the championships, so there’s little lack of excitement among them.

State tournament action kicks off at 9 a.m. Thursday at Charleston Catholic Athletic Complex.