Jeff Linville | The News
Surry Central’s Luke Haymore charges the net and plays a volley against North Surry’s Samuel Holder. Haymore faced two match points before pulling out a 14-12 tiebreaker.
Jeff Linville | The News
North’s Ryan Critz chases down a ground stroke in the first game of the second set. Critz and Central’s Kirk Needham went to a third-set tiebreaker before Critz prevailed 10-4.
Surry Central and North Surry battled to three tiebreakers in tennis before the Eagles prevailed Tuesday.
Half the singles matches went to a third-set tiebreaker with the Eagles winning of two of three.
That helped Central take a 4-2 lead after singles, then the visiting team took the top two doubles matches for a 6-3 conference win.
“It was closely fought in most of the matches,” said Central Coach Mark Parsons.
At the top seed, Central’s Luke Haymore won the first set handily at 6-1. However, North’s Samuel Holder battled back to win the second set 6-4.
In the 10-point tiebreaker, a player has to win by two points. Haymore was ahead 9-7, but Holder won three straight points to go up 10-9. Then the lead seesawed back and forth with both players holding match points before Haymore won 14-12.
At that point, the match was tied 1-1 as North’s second seed, Austin Barker, won 6-3, 6-0 over Colby Chilton.
Central’s Zach Wilmoth won 6-3, 6-3 over Corbin Willard in the third-seed match to give Central a 2-1 lead.
Central sixth seed Weston Mosley squeaked out a 7-5 first set over Alex Jones, then won the second set 6-3. The visiting team was then up 3-1 with two singles matches left.
At the fourth spot, North’s D.J. Boyles won the first set 7-5. Then Trent Day came back with a close 7-6 second set. Then in the tiebreaker, Day won 10-4.
At the fifth slot, North’s Ryan Critz won the first set 6-4, then went up 4-3 in the second set. Kirk Needham responded with three straight wins to force a tiebreaker. Critz pulled it out 10-4.
In doubles play, Haymore and Chilton beat Holder and Barker 10-5 in the top spot.
The second seeds were a rematch of the third-place match from the 2A conference tournament last May. Like that result, Wilmoth and Day beat Boyles and Critz. This time it was by a score of 10-0.
In the third doubles match, Willard and Elijah Bryant beat Central’s Trevor Smith and Zach Cochran 10-5.
North Surry beat Central in both meetings last year, recalled Parsons.
“So to go to their place and get a win is huge,” he said.
The Eagles also beat West Stokes on Friday, so the team is 2-0 in conference play.
“It was a good, hard-fought match between two pretty equal teams,” said North Coach Drew Belton. “The match came down to a few close points.”
The Greyhounds also came up just short in singles against East Wilkes in their season opener.
Belton noted that the score looked one-sided at 8-1, but the Hounds lost three close matches in the third set.
The Eagles will face those same Cardinals today in Ronda. Then Central hosts Mount Airy on Thursday.
The Hounds go to Bishop on Thursday.
Post a Comment
