Parkersburg No. 1 singles player Liya Tewodros returns a forehand during her match against Parkersburg South’s Audrey Smith, Thursday at Erickson All-Sports Facility. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

PARKERSBURG — One day after the state tennis polls were released, the Parkersburg boys and girls tennis teams continued trending in the right direction.

Before a quick deluge of rain arrived at the tennis facility on Thursday afternoon, PHS swept all four singles matches from Parkersburg South.

As the doubles portion began their warmups, clouds moved in quickly and players were greeted by the brief downpour. Once the skies let up, both schools waited out a 25-minute delay while the respective coaches decided to cancel the rest of the meet with the Big Reds having clinched the 4-0 decision in both divisions.

“South coach Lucy (Holland) came to us today and said if we could start with singles first,” PHS coach Eric Stanley said. “It worked out well because if we would have started with (the three doubles matches), we would not have finished in time.”

Among the winners for the Big Reds on the boys side was Christian Marshall, who defeated Jackson Carmicle 8-0 at No. 2 singles, and on the girls side Liya Tewodros, who defeated Audrey Smith 8-1 at No. 1 singles.

Parkersburg South No. 1 singles player Max Boyd returns a backhand during his match against Parkersburg’s Alex Marshall, Thursday at Erickson All-Sports Facility. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

As is tradition over the past several years at PHS, the rubber ducky Most Outstanding Player Awards were presented to Marshall and Tewodros by their teammates. Against a familiar opponent through clinics and club tennis, Tewodros won her first seven games against Smith.

“I felt like I played good — my serves were landing,” Tewodros said. “I think I could have done better with my ground strokes, but you know, I put forth my best effort.”

One day after state tennis rankings were released, the PHS girls at 6-3 landed in the No. 5 slot in Class AAAA. The Big Reds dropped earlier matches to Cabell Midland and Huntington, but they feel a return to state for a fourth year in a row is a strong possibility.

“Our team is full of hard workers,” Tewodros said. “All of us girls come to practice and show up — we want to get better, and we’re seeing it pay off now.

“We’re pretty competitive in practice. We are cheering, and at the end of the day we know we are teammates.”

Parkersburg No 1 singles player Audrey Smith returns a forehand during her match against Parkersburg’s Liya Tewodrow, Thursday at Erickson All-Sports Facility. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

In their four singles matches, the PHS boys dropped a total of four games. In addition to Christian Marshall, the Big Reds received wins from Alex Marshall, Cale Stutler and Isaac Stephens.

The Big Red boys, with a record of 9-0, are also ranked No. 5 in Class AAAA.

“We are in Region IV, which we know, traditionally, is the toughest,” Stanley said. “Huntington, Hurricane and Cabell Midland are always in that mix, so it doesn’t concern me right now. I know what those teams are capable of.”

PHS and South will meet a second time April 16 at City Park as part of Big Reds Senior Night.

Winners for PHS on the girls side Thursday afternoon included Emma Stanley, Hannah Raper and Avonlea Lewis.

Parkersburg No. 1 singles player Alex Marshall tracks down a forehand during his match against Parkersburg South’s Max Boyd, Thursday at Erickson All-Sports Facility. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

For both South No. 1 singles players, Smith and Bishop, the final outcome does not indicate the type of fight they gave throughout.

“My match was pretty competitive, but Alex (Marshall) just found a way to keep me running across the whole court,” Bishop said. “I did my best against him and tried to hit it to his backhand a lot.

“Because we play together a lot and go to clinics together, we know what to do against one another. We know each other quite well.”

Only a sophomore, Bishop has been holding down the top position on the South ladder since he arrived on the high school campus. His game has improved, and more importantly he has been able to keep his emotions in check.

“My freshman year, I was so bad at keeping my cool,” Bishop said. “I would always get mad on every point I lost. But you know, I have gotten way better with my mental game.

Parkersburg’s No 1 singles player Christian Marshall prepares to serve during his match against Parkersburg South’s Jackson Carmicle, Thursday at Erickson All-Sports Facility. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“I don’t get mad anymore as much as I used to. And I’ve definitely gotten better at making better shot selections. So yes, my game is trending in the right way.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

At Erickson All-Sports Facility

Singles

Alex Marshall (PHS) def. Max Boyd 8-1; Christian Marshall (PHS) def. Jackson Carmicle 8-0; Cale Stutler (PHS) def. Zach Farnsworth 8-1; Isaac Stephens (PHS) def. Trent Derenberger 8-2

Girls

Parkersburg 4, Parkersburg South 0

Singles

Liya Tewodros (PHS) def. Audrey Smith 8-1; Emma Stanley (PHS) def. Hannah Raper 8-0; Avonlea Lewis (PHS ) def. Lily Phillips 8-1; Camille Tatterson (PHS) def. Bella Metz 8-1

Records: PHS boys 9-0; PHS girls 6-3

Note: Boys and girls doubles cancelled due to rain.