By Alex LaCoste (June 15, 2003)

The GMHS girls tennis team fell just short of a state championship last Saturday, falling hard to Gate City 4-5.
 

Friday’s match against Matthews High School was an easy victory for Mason, winning 5-3, with victories by Christina Sedney, Emily Phelps, and Paige Dorsey in singles and Sedney and Alex LaCoste, Crosby and Lyda Drayer as well as Dorsey and Phelps in doubles. LaCoste and Mercedes Bezaury both fell hard in tight three- set matches, and Crosby lost in two. Friday afternoon, Sedney and LaCoste took on the strong doubles duo of Lindsey Nelson and Mallory Shaw from Galax High School, in the semi-finals of the individual competition. Sedney and LaCoste struggled with their games, and lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.

Varsity tennis senior co-captains Christina Sedney and  Paige Dorsey accept the regional championship trophy a little over a week ago.

Sedney’s individual match Thursday against Ashton Downs from Radford didn’t turn out much differently than the girls’ doubles, with Downs beating Sedney 6-4, 6-1. Downs advanced to the finals, where she played Davina Dishner of Gate City and ultimately beat her, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Downs carried on the Radford tradition of state victories, with Radford winning the individual singles competition the past four years, and the team competition the past five. Radford lost to Galax in the regional competition, ending their winning streak. Galax then lost to Gate City in the semifinals.

Saturday morning’s match was delayed several hours because of torrential rainstorms, which were predicted all week. The single A girls’ and boys’, along with AA girls’ and boys’ competitions were all held at Virginia Tech’s six indoor courts. Sedney and LaCoste were given a match time of 11, but ultimately didn’t play till 2, and the team was forced to sit inside for 3 hours.

Sedney’s match against Davina Dishner of Gate City was tough, but Dishner prevailed victorious in two sets. LaCoste fell hard to in two sets, 6-2, 6-2, finding it hard to control her opponent’s slice ground strokes.

Mason’s number three, Emily Phelps, pulled out a victory for the team, learning that patience is the key to success, and eventually won. Number four, Meredith Crosby, started off strong with a quick first set victory, but couldn’t keep up the pace, eventually falling hard in three sets. Paige Dorsey won her match, starting off slow, but dominating after the third game to a quick two-set victory. Mercedes Bezaury earned an important three-set victory for Mason, tying Mason and Gate City, 3-3 after singles.

Sedney and LaCoste were the first to start their doubles match, and it looked like a not too promising outcome, losing the first set 6-1. Regaining their confidence, they dominated the second set, 6-2, and the outcome was looking positive. They started the third set and were down 1-4, only to win the next three games to tie it up at four all, making it anyone’s match. The girls finally suffered a painful loss of 7-5 in the third.

Mason’s number three doubles Crosby and Drayer were dominating their doubles match, winning the first set 6-0, and were up in the second, and all that was needed was one other line of doubles to win.

The number two doubles duo of Paige Dorsey and Emily Phelps didn’t start off strong, losing the first set, but with a little help from coach Chris Madison the girls got it back, and were leading in the second set. The match was ultimately determined in a second set tie-breaker, in which the girls fell hard 11-9. With the losses of Sedney and LaCoste, along with Dorsey and Phelps, Gate City was victorious with their 5-4 win over GM.

Gate City defeated Mason last year at states 5-0, and this is the furthest that Mason has advanced in four years.

Mason is losing four of their top six, leaving only LaCoste and Crosby along with the rest of the underclassmen, to fill their shoes. For the 2004 season there will only be two returning seniors, Whitney Lemke and Annie Wanland, leaving the rest of the team to fill the top spots.