By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Moorefield Boys Tennis swept all singles and doubles matches to claim the third consecutive Potomac Valley Conference Team Championship as kings of the courts and the Yellow Jackets Girls Tennis team expanded the reign with two titles in singles competition at Keyser last Wednesday.
This three-peat for the Yellow Jackets featured a complete sweep of all the matches for the first time in program history.
Moorefield Boys Tennis coach Quincy Combs was selected for the PVC Coach of the Year honors.
“It’s an incredible feeling. We’ve put in lots of effort in the offseason and in-season. I have scheduled a lot more tougher competition to get my boys ready for this moment right here. We have regionals here in a couple weeks and I expect to go to state from regionals. I expect to do pretty well at state as well,” Moorefield Boys Tennis coach Quincy Combs remarked.
“[COY] Completely honored. This is my first year as head coach for the boys tennis team and it’s a great honor to win this. We have never had since I have been here, never had a full team win every single position. It’s a wonderful honor. It was one of our goals this year and we accomplished our first major goal.”
The Potomac Valley Conference Tennis Championship was postponed due to rain last Friday and the weather was crystal clear for the matches on the second attempt to play.
There were only three teams competing in the PVC Tennis Championship as Berkeley Springs wasn’t able to attend the event which left Moorefield, Petersburg and host Keyser battling for supremacy.
The Yellow Jackets knew how to swarm the net and slam the ball en route to the championship crowns.
Moorefield Boys Tennis had a bye in the semifinals for each position as the top seed overall.
Moorefield Boys Tennis No. 1 Doubles partners of Lian Mung and Levi Malcolm cruised to an 8-nil championship over Keyser’s Naim Smith and Lewis.
The Yellow Jackets reign continued to blossom as the No. 2 Boys Doubles team of Hunter Mongold and Will Keplinger secured an 8-3 championship against Keyser’s Dylan Milla and Ben Heavener.
“It’s pretty exciting. It feels good. [Keys] Consistency and hard work,” PVC champion Hunter Mongold noted.
Moorefield Boys No. 3 Doubles squad of Hayes Sherman and Stewart Monroe garnered the crown with an 8-0 shutout against Keyser’s Joel Simpson and Uriah Swick.
“[PVC champion] To me it’s the same thing. It is fun and we are deserving of it, because we put the hours in. Our new challenge is regionals. We’re looking for that regional title and to beat Williamstown, the defending state champion. We have some tough games next week, but that should prepare us. [Keys] The keys were to stay focused and nothing new, just keep it in and try some new things to get ready for regionals,” PVC champion Hayes Sherman noted.
Moorefield Boys No. 1 Singles Lian Mung collected the title with an 8-3 win over Keyser’s Smith.
“It feels amazing. I feel very proud for our team. [Keys] We worked hard as a team and practiced everyday,” PVC champion Lian Mung commented.
The Yellow Jackets momentum continued to swarm on the courts as No. 2 Boys Singles Levi Malcolm claimed the championship with an 8-4 win over Petersburg’s Jesse Ockerman
“It’s very exciting for three years in a row. {Keys] Strategy and staying confident and trying to keep the balls in play,” PVC champion Levi Malcolm said.
Moorefield Boys No. 3 Singles Hunter Mongold collected the championship with an 8-1 victory over Keyser’s Milla.
The Yellow Jackets completed the PVC Boys Tennis Championship sweep as No. 4 Singles Will Keplinger smashed an 8-1 win over Keyser’s Heavener.
All the PVC glory didn’t belong to the Moorefield Boys as the Keyser Girls Tennis team won the PVC team championship and the Yellow Jackets claimed two of the singles crowns.
Moorefield Girls Tennis No. 1 Singles Courtlynn Ault defeated Petersburg’s Ireland Gray in the semifinals, then posted an 8-nil shutout against Keyser’s Kylie Keplinger to earn back-to-back PVC championships.
“It was great, two years in a row baby. Let’s go. [Keys] Staying calm and being consistent. It was nice having my teammates here to watch me and I am really proud of all of them. Even the ones that weren’t able to win, they all fought really hard and I am super proud of them,” PVC champion Courtlynn Ault stated.
Moorefield Girls Tennis No. 2 Singles Gracie Combs cruised past Keyser’s Claire Reel 8-0 and edged Petersburg’s Ava Gray 8-6 to claim the PVC crown.
Keyser Girls Tennis No. 3 Singles Aubrey Fisher defeated Moorefield’s Bethany Coon 8-3 to garner the title.
Keyser Girls Tennis No. 4 Singles Carlee Staggs collected the championship over Petersburg’s Angela Willis.
Moorefield’s Grace Tayman fell to Willis in the semifinal round 8-3.
The Yellow Jackets Girls Doubles teams reached the championships in each match, but the Golden Tornado spun to victory in each bout.
Keyser Girls Tennis No. 1 Doubles Keplinger/Reek shutout Moorefield’s Ault/Coon 8-0.
The Yellow Jackets had a bye in the semifinals.
Keyser Girls Tennis No. 2 Doubles Fisher/Staggs ousted Moorefield’s Combs/Emily Vinoski 8-nil.
The Yellow Jackets shutout Petersburg’s Ours/Sites 8-nil in the semifinal match.
Keyser Girls Tennis No. 3 Doubles Jones/Jenkins defeated Moorefield’s Leah Davis/Grace Tayman 8-3.
The Yellow Jackets beat Petersburg’s Berg/Evans in the semifinals 8-4.
The Yellow Jackets swarmed the courts during the awards ceremony to take home the hardware to the Hive and set the bar higher for the boys program with an epic three-peat in the Potomac Valley Conference.
Moorefield is looking to keep the momentum going for a return to the state tournament this season.
