Hickory and Cox boys and First Colonial and Great Bridge girls will play regional rematches in state tennis semifinals – Daily Press

Boys tennis

Class 5

Thanks to relatively routine wins over Norfolk teams on a windy Friday morning, Hickory and Cox will face each other in a Class 5 semifinal for the third time this season.

The Hawks, playing at home in Chesapeake, beat Granby 5-0, shortly after the Falcons defeated Maury 5-1 in the quarterfinals at the Old Dominion courts.

Cox travels to Hickory for the semifinals on Monday at 1 p.m.

The Falcons were without Region A singles champion Neil Vanga, who was recovering from an injury, but they won the other five matches against Region B champion Commodores in straight sets, thanks to Sam Dixon, Lucca Gandolfo, Matt Baan, Daniel Ureeta and Kris Katabian at positions 2-6. Gandolfo defeated Johnny March 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in the deciding match.

Hickory, which edged past Cox 5-3 in the regional final last week after losing 5-4 to the Falcons in the regular season, had to battle with the Comets at most positions. No. 1 Will Katchmark, No. 6 Ethan Schneider and No. 4 Spencer Dudley won in straight sets, James Jenson overcame a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win 6-3, 6-4 at 2, and Parker Dudley sealed the triumph with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 victory at 3.

Class 3

Grafton 5, Maggie Walker 0: The Richmond Dragons have won seven state championships since 2014, the last two years of which have been in Class 3. But the undefeated Clippers, who are seeking their first state title in boys' tennis in any format, did not let them down in Grafton, reaching the semifinals.

They play at home on Tuesday afternoon against Lafayette, which won 5-3 in Meridian in Northern Virginia on Friday.

Four-time regional singles champion Rainer Christiansen, No. 5 Davis Mapp and No. 4 Noah Diebler won in straight sets before No. 6 Felix Susta and No. 2 John Lee won in a tiebreaker to send the Clippers to the semifinals. Grafton was in the fourth tier before being relegated to the third tier this school year.

Class 4

Hanover 5, Warhill 0: Hanover, four-time state runner-up since 2018, left the visiting Lions unscathed and reached the semifinals against the winner of the match between Jamestown and Atlee.

2nd grade

Bruton 5, Riverheads 0: The host Panthers won many sets 6-0, defeated the Gladiators of Staunton and advanced to the semifinals against the winner of Poquoson-Buffalo Gap.

Girls tennis

Class 5

First Colonial and Great Bridge played one of the most exciting games of the year in the region this week, and a rematch early next week will decide which of them advances to the Class 5 state finals.

The Patriots, playing at home, edged No. 1-ranked Menchville 5-1, despite a win by Region B singles champion Tori Epps of the Monarchs.

FC had just recorded a 5-4 home win over Great Bridge in a Region A final that lasted about five hours and ended in a deciding tiebreaker in Doubles Series 2.

The Wildcats rolled over Maury 5-0 at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, losing just one set. Region A singles champions Kayla Kennedy, Chase London, Mallory Kim and Micah Williams took the top four spots, losing just six games in eight sets before fifth-seeded Sarah Allen took the win 6-3, 6-3.

Class 4

Atlee 5, Jamestown 2: Since Region A individual champion Julia Clark of the Eagles was recovering from an ankle injury and was unable to play, the reigning state champions were defeated by the visiting Raiders.

Jamestown coach Karen Johnson said Clark sustained the injury during a recent private lesson and is unsure if she will be able to play in the singles and/or doubles semifinals next week alongside partner Scarlett Gamez.

Atlee won a 12-10 tiebreaker at No. 4 singles to secure the upset. The Raiders will play their semifinal match at 11 a.m. Monday at Courtland, which Warhill defeated in Fredericksburg.

Class 3

Maggie Walker 5, Grafton 0: The Dragons, one of the best teams in all enrollment classes in the Richmond area, have ousted the visiting Clippers.

Maggie Walker will play a semi-final against the winner of James Monroe-New Kent.

2nd grade

Poquoson 5, Clark County 3: The host Islanders earned a win that put them in the semifinals against Woodstock Central in a duel between the Region A and B champions.

Woodstock Central 5, Bruton 0: The Falcons prevailed as hosts in the Shenandoah Valley. Of the five singles matches won, the closest result was 6:3, 6:3.