CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hurricane tennis coaches Ashley White and Kendra White were impressed with the chemistry of the Redskins’ boys and girls tennis teams throughout the 2022 season.
On Saturday, a mixture of camaraderie, talent and determination helped both squads claim Class AAA state championships.
Behind one singles title, a doubles crown and three second-place finishes, Hurricane’s boys team notched its first team title in school history with 16 points. The Redskins dethroned George Washington, which had won three straight titles and finished runner-up with 11 points.
“From the beginning of the season, we kind of knew we had something special,” said Hurricane boys coach Ashley White. “We had a lot of talent on the team and a lot of great kids with awesome attitudes who worked hard. We kind of knew this might be a good year for us as a team and not just individually.
“One of the things they’ve done throughout this season that I’m so proud of them for is worked together as a team. It’s easy for tennis to be an individual sport where you just focus on your own matches, but this has been a team effort the entire time. They support each other and they are in each other’s corner constantly.”
Curry Taylor gave Hurricane a No. 3 singles champion with his 6-3, 6-0 victory over Huntington’s Will Touma.
In doubles action, the Redskins won the No. 3 final when the duo of Kellen Pauley and Elias Kave teamed for a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Morgantown’s Wyatt Abbitt and Steven Tian.
“These kids’ commitment to playing was important,” Ashley White said. “They do clinics in the offseason that they didn’t need to do. They would finish a match and sometimes stay and play extra just to practice more. After the first day of states, some of them went out and practiced again.
“That consistent work for them helped. The other thing is they all are so mentally strong and they keep a good attitude and stay positive. People maybe underestimate the power of that, but for them, that was a big part of the success the whole season and here.”
Hurricane’s boys tennis team won its first state championship. Photo by Greg Carey/WVMetroNews.com
Hurricane nearly had another singles title from its lone senior Domenick Hoh, who suffered a hard-fought loss to Abbitt in a match that took more than 4 hours to finish. Abbitt claimed a tight opening set 7-6 (10-8), before Hoh bounced back to win the second set, 6-3. Abbitt, however, had his way in the third and final set, which he won 6-1 to take the No. 4 crown.
“You have to try to tone out the crowd, which is hard, especially for someone who hasn’…….