PREP TENNIS: VHSL state quarterfinal matches begin today. Some things to know about matches involving local teams (2024)

VHSL State Quarterfinals

BOYS

Class 1/2

Glenvar (13-6) at John Battle (11-3)

Friday, Noon

The Skinny: These teams have combined to win the last three VHSL Class 1/2 state titles. Glenvar is the defending state champ, while John Battle won it all in 2021 and 2022. … Seniors Connor Davidson, Will Crump, Jackson Gayle and Caleb Lockhart, sophom*ore Brodie Ratliff and freshman Nalan Murthy comprise the lineup for Battle. Davidson, Crump and Ratliff are returnees from last season. “Their experience and commitment to the sport in general helped to guide and constantly motivate our other three amazing athletes throughout the season,” said John Battle coach James Meadows. “This team has been a very special one for sure and to see how much they've improved throughout the season, along with juggling their many other commitments and responsibilities, has just been awesome to witness. They are all very hard workers and put in a lot of extra time by coming in before practice, staying after, playing a lot on the weekends, and taking private lessons at times as well. All these things have combined to have the winning season we've been blessed to have this year.” … Meadows is in his first season as head coach after taking over for veteran boss Tim Sholes. He played tennis at now-defunct Garden High School in Buchanan County. Battle beat Grundy and Marion by identical 5-4 scores to win the Region 1D/2D tourney. … Glenvar returned two players from last year’s championship team, but lost No. 1 player Alec McIlwain to a season-ending injury just two days before the Region 1C/2C tournament began. “He was a state finalist last year in singles, the leader of our team, and someone who we have always depended on in many ways,” said Glenvar coach Robert Haynie. “Our team is playing for Alec and with the mindset we have nothing to lose.” … Liam Paxton, Logan Garner, Connor Wilkes, Elliott McClintic, Christian Hill and Adam Harvey will be on the court today for the Highlanders from Salem. “John Battle is always formidable and as a coach I have always looked forward to playing them,” Haynie said.

Up Next: The winner plays either Radford or Marion in the state semifinals on June 3 or 4 at a site to be determined.

Marion (15-4) vs. Radford

Friday, 11 a.m.

At Virginia Tech

The Skinny: This state tournament appearance is a positive step in the right direction for coach Mac Poe’s Marion Scarlet Hurricanes. “A first-year coach and young team trying to build a respectable program for the near future,” Poe said. … Caden Burchett, Xander Gates, Colton Branson, Jack Ford, Slate Parnell and Miles Harrington make up the lineup for Marion. The team’s eight-man roster is comprised of two freshmen, two sophom*ores, two juniors and two seniors. … Radford beat Liberty-Bedford (5-0), Floy County (5-1) and Glenvar (5-2) to win the Region 1C/2C tournament. Adam McGregor is the top singles player for the Bobcats, but other than that not much is known about the squad from the New River Valley.

Up Next: John Battle or Glenvar gets the winner in the state semifinals set for June 3 or 4 at a site to be determined.

Class 3

Abingdon at Western Albemarle

Saturday, Noon

The Skinny: Abingdon hits the road to face the state’s current tennis powerhouse on Saturday in the state quarterfinals. … Western Albemarle has won six straight state titles dating back to 2017. Four of those came in Class 3, the last two in Class 4 and now the school located in Crozet has returned to the Class 3 ranks. … Western Albemarle whipped Waynesboro, Wilson Memorial and Spotswood by 5-0 scores to win the Region 3C tournament. … Coach Ron Manilla’s squad is led by top singles player Brader Eby. … Abingdon suffered a 5-0 loss to Christiansburg in the Region 3D finals as Nicholas McReynolds, Luke Gibson, Aiden Chapman, Max Lemasters and Blake Ketron lost their singles matches. … McReynolds finished as runner-up in the Region 3D singles competition.

Up Next: The winner faces either Christiansburg or Spotswood in the state semifinals on June 3 or 4 at a site to be determined.

GIRLS

Class 1

Grundy (14-2) vs. Fort Chiswell (12-3)

Monday, 11 a.m.

At Poplar Gap Park

The Skinny: It’s been a history-making season for the Grundy Golden Wave as they won the first regional title in program history. … Senior Maggie Viers, senior Amber Dotson, senior Autumn Dale, sophom*ore Kate Bostic, junior Lilly Porter and freshman Claire Griffey have led the way in singles. The duos of Viers and Dotson, Dale and Bostic, and Porter and freshman Anna Conaway have got the job done in doubles. … Grundy beat Rural Retreat (5-4) and J.I. Burton (5-3) to win the regional tournament. “This group of girls have been awesome to be a part of this year,” said Grundy coach Eddie Smith. “We knew that with our top seeds coming back – Maggie, Amber, Autumn, and Kate – that we would be competitive, and it would depend on us how far we made it this year. This bunch is super competitive and have played tennis nonstop since February. This group of girls have put in so much work and their hard work is paying off. Our newcomers, Lilly, Claire, and Anna, have come in and played tennis like seniors. These last few days wouldn't have been possible without Lilly, Claire, and Anna stepping up in their matches. We have played some of our best tennis this last week and hope that it carries over to our state quarterfinal match.” … Junior Gracelyn Alderman, junior Taylor Shrewsbury, sophom*ore Emily Thompson, junior Lexi Edmonds, junior Elizabeth Caldwell and freshman Tessa Fitzgerald have comprised the lineup this season for Fort Chiswell. Shrewsbury will not be present for Monday’s match. … Fort Chiswell dropped a 5-2 match to Lebanon in last year’s state quarterfinals. “This is the second year in a row that we have been in this position,” said Fort Chiswell coach Tiffany Tate. “No stranger to the pressure and the level of competition that comes with being in this position this time of the year. We only hope that we can carry this out till the last bell rings. We are excited to play a team, meet up with a team that we have not had the chance to play. Excited to see the competition that these two teams bring to the table.”

Up Next: The winner plays either George Wythe or J.I. Burton on Tuesday, June 4 in the state semifinals at a site to be determined.

J.I. Burton (8-6) at George Wythe (13-1)

Friday, 9 a.m.

The Skinny: After finishing as VHSL Class 1 state runner-up last season, the George Wythe Maroons are three wins away from taking care of some unfinished business with almost an entirely new cast of standouts. … George Wythe’s lineup features junior Emerson Hardin, junior Angela Myers, sophom*ore Destanie Diorio, sophom*ore Willow Delp, sophom*ore Audrey Angles and sophom*ore Maggie Simons. Hardin and Myers won the Region 1C doubles championship. “We lost five seniors last year and our one senior this year was out all season due to a shoulder injury,” said George Wythe coach Mary Alice Watson. “Starting from players that played last year, but were not seeded, [Assistant] Coach [Chuck] Johnson and I are truly impressed on how these girls have worked all season and stepped up to fill the shoes that were left to them by last year's team. Coach Johnson calls this team ‘The Cinderella Team’ because of how far they have come and what odds they have faced.” … Junior Eden Shortt, junior Madison Sergent, junior Emily Campbell, senior captain Hannah Kinser, junior Jozlyn Colley and freshman Caitlyn Campbell are the singles players for Burton. The Shortt-Sergent, Campbell-Kinser and Colley-Chloe Cantrell duos play doubles for the Raiders. Sergent and Kinser won the Region 1D doubles title. … Burton lost junior Abigail Mullins and sophom*ore Molly Dale to injuries over the course of the season. … “Our girls give 100 percent no matter who were are playing and will continue to do so throughout the VHSL state tournament,” said Burton coach Jonah Stough, a 2003 graduate of now-defunct J.J. Kelly High School and a former standout wrestler for the Indians. “I look forward to seeing everything this team will accomplish going forward this season and the seasons to come.”

Up Next: The winner plays either Grundy or Fort Chiswell on Tuesday, June 4 in the state semifinals at a sit to be determined.

Class 2

Floyd County (13-2) at Marion (17-2)

Friday, 10:30 a.m.

The Skinny: The Marion Scarlet Hurricanes are poised for a state championship repeat and they have took care of business in dispatching Ridgeview (5-2) and Gate City (5-1) to win the Region 2D tournament. … Junior Parker White has won the previous two VHSL Class 2 state singles titles and is the tone-setter for the ‘Canes. Sophom*ore Ava Austin, junior Maddie Austin, junior Bailey Russell, freshman Hope Robinson, sophom*ore Sarah Blevins and freshman Olivia Blevins have led the way as of late. Olivia Blevins and Sarah Blevins have filled in for Raegan Burchett at No. 5 singles. Burchett suffered an injury while playing soccer. … Marion posted a 5-2 win over Poquoson in last year’s state finals to win the first girls tennis state team title in program history. “This season has gone great so far,” said Marion coach Doug Grubb. “We are right where we expected to be after winning our first title and only losing two seniors off of last year’s roster. We’ve had some injuries this season but had some girls step up and fill in. I feel we are playing our best tennis of the year right now and hope we can continue the good play over the next week or so. We played Floyd County for our first match of the season. They are a bunch of scrappy girls and our tennis teams are very similar. I am expecting a very exciting match tomorrow in the quarterfinals.” … Sophom*ore Elayna Harris (9-2), junior Karley Bond (14-0), junior Madi Slusher (12-2), senior Jasmine Locke (11-2), junior Addie Vest (12-1) and freshman Sophie Ramey (12-1) compete in singles for Floyd. The Harris-Slusher (9-2), Bond-Locke (10-0) and Vest-Lily Whitlock (10-2) tandems are the doubles duos for the Buffaloes of coach Doug Hines.

Up Next: Radford or Gate City plays the winner on June 3 or June 4 in a state semifinal showdown.

Gate City vs. Radford (17-2)

Friday, 11 a.m.

At Virginia Tech

The Skinny: It wouldn’t be the VHSL state tennis tournament without these programs being involved. … Gate City has won 10 state championships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016), while Radford has a total of nine first-place finishes with those coming in 1985, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2014 and 2017. … Sophom*ore Lydia Pratt was the Region 2C player of the year and leads the way for Radford. Senior Claire Fencer, sophom*ore Ellie Steele, junior Whitney McGregor, senior Lillie Hurst and junior Alex Bernethy round out the lineup for the Bobcats. Radford rolled past Liberty-Bedford (5-0), Appomattox (5-0) and Floyd County (5-0) to win the Region 2C tournament for a second straight year. “Our ladies have risen to the occasion this year,” said Radford coach John Dalton Ferguson. “Our year started with a great win over Blacksburg High School, and we performed well in district and regional play. I am excited to see this team compete in the state tournament.” … Ferguson is actually a Gate City graduate and was the Group A state singles boys champion in 2013. He later played at Emory & Henry College. … Madeline Greear and Madalyn Bartley are among the players to watch for Gate City. “Coach [Delonda] Spivey does an excellent job at Gate City,” Ferguson said. “I worked under her as an assistant coach for a few years while I was in college. I know that Gate City will be a tough opponent.”

Up Next: The winner gets either Marion or Floyd County in the state semifinals on June 3 or 4.

Class 3

Abingdon (18-1) vs. Spotswood (17-1)

Friday, 1 p.m.

At Emory & Henry College

The Skinny: These teams have plenty of familiarity. Abingdon beat Spotswood 5-4 in the 2023 state semifinals and 5-2 in the 2019 state quarterfinals. The Trailblazers topped the Falcons 5-3 in the 2022 state semifinals. … Abingdon impressively bested Pulaski County, Bassett and Lord Botetourt by 5-0 scores to win the Region 3D tournament. … Junior Grayson Woodall of Abingdon won the Region 3D singles title earlier this week and is 24-0. She won the doubles title last season with Lauren Wimmer. … Wrenn Rainero is 16-0 at No. 3 singles, while Eller Buddington is 16-1 at No. 5. Junior Eliza Cozart, senior Katy Creasy, junior Melanie Bedwell, freshman Lucy Piper, sophom*ore Jaylyn Whitman and sophom*ore Sophia Zinn round out the team’s top nine. “The record does not indicate how much fun we have had or how much the team has enjoyed this season,” said Abingdon coach Jim Barker. “The team has played well, practiced well and traveled well. It has been my pleasure to have coached this team. We had a pretty good team at the beginning of the season, but we have recently been playing at a very high level. Their hard work is obviously paying off. Our team is fit, focused and ready to play.” … Spotswood hadn’t lost until a 5-1 setback to Western Albemarle in the Region 3C tournament title match. Raygan Wade, Ella Li, Emerson Knight, Rennie Shaffer, Olivia Davis and Charlie Jestedt comprise the lineup for head coach Greg Shaffer’s squad.

Up Next: Western Albemarle or Lord Botetourt awaits the winner in the state semifinals on June 3 or June 4 at a site to be determined.