Sanderson doubles team, Wakefield’s Boyden win Cap-8 girls’ tennis championships

Sanderson girls’ tennis coach Joe Mesiano introduced a small strategy to his doubles teams.

After every point, the pair must hook up for a high-five, small talk, a cheer, a grunt even, so long as it’s something.

But he had to hold his tongue when two of his doubles teams made it to the Cap-8 4A tennis tournament’s final Wednesday at Millbrook Exchange Park.

Like clockwork, after each point, four Spartans on Court 7 exchanged high-fives with their respective partner.

Sanderson, which finished 16-0 overall to win the conference championship – a goal realized after sharing the title a year ago with Broughton – will send its two doubles teams and a singles to regionals.

Sophomores Dylan Cannon and Anna Scott Holshouser defeated teammates Sofia Anthony and Sibel Tanik to win the league doubles championship.

“It took a lot of concentration just because they play ahead of us and we weren’t supposed to win,” said Cannon, Sanderson’s No. 2 singles seed. Holshouser plays No. 3 singles, and they comprise the No. 2 doubles. “We had to focus when we had the advantage.”

The match, a treat for Mesiano although two of his players were left disappointed, featured an array of impressive shots and a couple of showdowns at the net.

An exciting second-set volley took several shots to fizzle.

“All four of them are evenly matched,” Mesiano said. “It’s just going to come down to who’s going to hit the last shot a little bit better, and that’s what it really came down to. One time, it was all four of them at the net and it was like six balls just zinging over. We work on that in practice. I know Sofia and Sibel are very disappointed, but hey, it’s the facts of life. This is competition and maybe it will make them even stronger and tougher.”

The regional round will begin Oct. 23 at Millbrook Exchange Park. Five singles and five doubles teams advanced after Wednesday’s conference tournament, including two-time reigning state singles and 2015 Cap-8 4A singles champion Susanne Boyden.

Boyden of Wakefield, Millbrook’s Brianna Taranto and Shea Cirillo, Broughton’s Hunter Cox and Sanderson’s Kate Griffin were the singles players to move on. The two Sanderson doubles teams, Broughton’s Becket Waters and Meg Hardesty, Leesville Road’s Lauren Robbins and Cailley Michaud and Broughton’s Allison Austin and Wynn Burress were the doubles teams to play in next week’s regionals.

Boyden defeated Taranto 6-3, 6-0, to win the title Wednesday, once even trailing the freshman from Millbrook.

“I’m probably better under pressure because I’m used to being under pressure,” Boyden said. “I feel like I’ve been playing pretty well. I feel like I definitely still have things to work on before next week, and it’s exciting, but I’m a little bit nervous for regionals. It’s kind of sad that this is like my last year.”

Her Wolverines finished sixth overall in the conference. Broughton came in second behind champion Sanderson followed by Leesville Road, Millbrook, Enloe, Wake Forest and Heritage.

“It’s totally amazing,” Mesiano said of his Spartans’ league title. “We worked hard in practice, but it’s really the dedication and the passion of the girls. I can lead them so much, because once you get on the tennis court, it’s over; it’s out of my hands. The things we worked on in practice, they did here in the match – singles and doubles – the entire time.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Sanderson doubles team, Wakefield’s Boyden win Cap-8 girls’ tennis championships."