Watauga netters edge Patriots

By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Though a road to a championship can be filled with several speed bumps, Watauga’s girls’ tennis team faced a formidable roadblock Tuesday afternoon at the Carroll Complex.

It took a gutsy performance from No. 3 singles player Mary Clements and a doubles victory from Watauga’s No. 1 team of Brianna Fleming and Sarah Blackwelder to finally push the Pioneers past Freedom 5-4.

Things went much easier for Watauga last Thursday when the Pioneers swept A.C. Reynolds 9-0 in Asheville.

In Boone, against Freedom, things were much closer. Clements, played Freedom’s Emily Rooks in what turned out to be the most even match of the afternoon. Rooks won the first set 7-5, but Clements captured the second set, also 7-5.

Playing a tiebreaker third set, Clements outlasted Rooks 10-8 and even the singles matches 3-3.

“Mary’s tough,” Watauga coach Donna Nicastro said. “She’s as cool as a cucumber.”

Clements had help from Fleming and Blackwelder, who both won their singles matches in straight sets. Fleming beat Jenny Nyman 6-2, 6-2, while Blackwelder beat Amelia Clark 6-2, 6-3, giving the Pioneers wins in the top three seeds.

Winning doubles matches proved to be tougher. Watauga’s No. 3 team of Ariel Nicastro and Tatum Reese teamed to beat Lizzy Holtover and Beatrice Breeden 10-7. Watauga’s No. 2 team of Clements and Meredith Massey narrowly lost 10-8 to Nyman and Blakeley Prichard, meaning Fleming and Blackwelder had to win their match with Rooks and Clark to win the team competition.

The match was the longest of the three doubles matches, but Fleming and Blackwelder won 10-5 as darkness and a chill had settled into the Carroll Complex tennis courts.

“That was tough. It went down to the wire,” Donna Nicastro said. “(Freedom’s) deep. Our girls got tough and pulled it out.”

Watauga had a little trouble against A.C. Reynolds, but was able to win close matches. Fleming needed a tie-breaking set to beat the Rockets’ No. 1 player, Caitlin Doucette 6-2, 3-6, 10-3. Blackwelder and Clements both also needed tie-breaking sets to win their matches.

Massey, Nicastro and Reese won their matches in straight sets.

Watauga 5, Freedom 5

Singles

Brianna Fleming (W) d. Jenny Nyman, 6-2, 6-2

Sarah Blackwelder (W) d. Amelia Clark, 6-2, 6-3

Mary Clements (W) d. Emily Rooks, 5-7, 7-5, 10-8

Blakeley Prichard (F) d. Meredith Massey, 6-3, 6-2

Lizzy Holtover (F) d. Ariel Nicastro, 6-2, 6-3

ElizabethFlyler (F) d. Tatum Reese, 6-3, 4-6, 10-1.

Doubles

Fleming/Blackwelder (W) d. Rooks/Clark, 10-5

Nyman/Pritchard (F) d. Clements/Massey, 10-8

Nicastro/Reese (W) d. Holtover/Beatrice Breeden, 10-7

Watauga 9, A.C. Reynolds 0

Singles

Brianna Fleming (W) d. Caitlin Doucette 6-2. 3-6, 10-3

Sarah Blackwelder (W) d. Cassidy Ford 6-2, 6-7, 10-8

Mary Clements (W) d. Erin Bailey 5-7, 6-1, 10-8

Meredith Massey (W) d. Sarah Varner 6-2, 6-0

Ariel Nicastro (W) d. Claire Owenby 6-1, 6-2

Tatum Reese (W) d. Jamie Tate 6-1, 6-0

Doubles

Fleming/Blackwelder (W) d. Ford/Bailey 9-7

Massey/Nicastro (W) d. Doucette/Varner 8-3

Clements/Reese (W) d. Owenby/Tate 8-1