By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
Salisbury tennis coach Chris Myers wanted to meet with members of the team’s top six as the CCC tournament came to a close, and summoning the group wasn’t a difficult chore.
Four players were lingering on a nearby court following the conclusion of a cordial yet competitive doubles final.
The top-seeded tandem of Hannah Lebowitz-Kirstin Meyerhoeffer beat teammates Shea Comadoll and Joy Loeblein in the championship match.
Brooke Johnson reached the singles final before falling to Ledford’s Tiffany Vanhpraseuth, and Erika Nelson emerged as the consolation bracket champ to give SHS six regional qualifiers.
Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer overcame deficits in each set before prevailing 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) against Comadoll-Loeblein.
“The whole match Kirstin and I were trying to relax and play our game, but Shea and Joy just did a great job of keeping the pressure on us,” Lebowitz said. “It’s hard to play your game when you have a team that keeps going and going.”
Johnson, the No. 3 player on Salisbury’s state-ranked team, won 6-4, 6-0 against West Davidson’s Danielle Scesney in the semifinal round and lost 6-0, 6-0 to Vanhpraseuth, who didn’t drop a game in four tournament victories.
Nelson, the Hornets’ No. 6 seed, went 4-1 in the two-day event. She fell into the consolation bracket Monday with a narrow quarterfinal loss to Olivia Myers, West Davidson’s top player. Nelson won 8-1 against North Rowan’s Diamond Jackson and 8-3 against Ledford’s Johnna McGinn, the No. 2 player from the league’s second-place team, on Tuesday.
Salisbury’s doubles teams breezed through the semifinal round. Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer won 6-0, 6-1 against Central Davidson’s Sarah Bowers-Caitlin Tysinger, and Comadoll-Loeblein won 6-1, 6-1 against Ledford’s Kelsey Gilliam-Grace Lackey.
The final was an all-Salisbury affair for the third straight year ó Susie Wear and Casey Collins were back-to-back champions.
“I felt a little uptight ó I have to be honest,” Meyerhoeffer said.
Comadoll-Loeblein led 3-1 in the first set and 4-2 in the second set.
Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer won three straight games to pull ahead 5-4 in the final set, and Loeblein held serve without losing a point. Comadoll also held at love to force a tiebreaker.
“They attacked consistently through the match and forced Hannah and Kirstin to beat them,” Chris Myers said.
Lebowitz secured a CCC title for the third straight year ó she was the league’s singles champion as a freshman and sophomore. She won regional championships both times and reached the state semifinals last year.
Lebowitz decided to give postseason doubles a try as a junior even though she would have been a leading contender to capture the 2A singles title. Wear and Collins were state doubles champions last year.
“I watched Casey and Susie play doubles the last few years, and they just had such a good time,” Lebowitz said. “I enjoy playing doubles a lot. I don’t think I’m sacrificing at all.”
The move benefits Meyerhoeffer, a state singles qualifier in 2007.
Lebowitz and Meyerhoeffer are 28-1 as doubles partners during the last two years. The only loss occurred last week against Ragsdale.
“I told (Lebowitz) if she wanted to play singles ó I know her turnout would be good ó that she could and I would be fine with that. I’m really excited and thrilled that she decided to play doubles. I’m really pumped.
“With her by my side I’m really confident. She’s a great friend and a great partner.”
CCC tournament results
Doubles
First Round
Hannah Lebowitz-Kirstin Meyerhoeffer (S) d. Caitlin Crawford-Kelli Berry (NR) 8-0; Asherres Jenkins-Katie Thompson (Lex) d. Emily Mitchell-Brittany Patterson (PG) 8-0; Sarah Bowers-Caitlin Tysinger (CD) d. Taylor Phipps-Jessica West (WD) 8-0; Katie Ramsay-Katherine Sullivan (L) d. Taylor Nahoum-Heather Jenkins (ED) 8-1; Kelsey Gilliam-Grace Lackey (L) d. Kayla Morgan-Melinda Mitchell (NR) 8-3; Alex Hollowell-Gigi Pacheco (PG) d. Jessica Patterson-Melinda Athey (WD) 8-1; Taryn Jenkins-Kathryn Davis (Lex) d. Brooke Poole-Alyssa Harvell (ED) 8-1; Shea Comadoll-Joy Loeblein (S) d. Haley Hanes-Lydia Beck (CD) 8-1
Consolation first round
Crawford-Berry d. Mitchell-Patterson 8-0; Phipps-West d. Nahoum-Jenkins 8-0; Morgan-Mitchell d. Patterson-Athey 8-2; Hanes-Beck d. Poole-Harvell 8-0
Consolation second round
Hollowell-Pacheco d. Crawford-Berry 8-4; Jenkins-Davis d. Phipps-West 8-6; Jenkins-Thompson d. Morgan-Mitchell 8-2; Hanes-Beck d. Ramsay-Sullivan 8-1
Consolation semifinals
Jenkins-Davis d. Hollowell-Pacheco 8-0; Hanes-Beck d. Jenkins-Thompson 8-2
Consolation final
Hanes-Beck d. Jenkins-Davis 8-2
Quarterfinals
Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer d. Jenkins-Thompson 8-0; Bowers-Tysinger d. Ramsay-Sullivan 8-4; Gilliam-Lackey d. Hollowell-Pacheco 8-3; Comadoll-Loeblein d. Jenkins-Davis 8-0
Semifinals
Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer d. Bowers-Tysinger 6-0, 6-1; Comadoll-Loeblein d. Gilliam-Lackey 6-1, 6-1
Final
Lebowitz-Meyerhoeffer d. Comadoll-Loeblein 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
Singles
First Round
Tiffany Vanhpraseuth (L) d. Moni Demontiero (Lex) 8-0; Diamond Jackson (NR) d. Hannah Armfield (PG) 8-1; Olivia Myers (WD) d. Chelsea Klim (CD) 8-0; Erika Nelson (S) d. Jessica Burkhart (ED) 8-1; Danielle Scesney (WD) d. Morgan Skies (ED) 8-0; Johnna McGinn (L) d. Corbin Bennett (NR) 8-3; Erin Wilson (CD) d. Kelly Frazier (PG) 8-1; Brooke Johnson (S) d. Callie Auman (Lex) 8-1
Consolation first round
Demontiero d. Armfield 8-4; Klim d. Burkhart, injury default; Bennett d. Skies 8-0; Auman d. Frazier 8-3
Consolation second round
McGinn d. Demontiero 8-1; Wilson d. Klim 8-4; Jackson d. Bennett 8-6; Nelson d. Auman 8-2
Consolation semifinals
McGinn d. Wilson 8-4; Nelson d. Jackson 8-1
Consolation final
Nelson d. McGinn 8-3
Quarterfinals
Vanhpraseuth d. Jackson 8-0; Myers d. Nelson 9-8 (10-7); Scesney d. McGinn 8-6; Johnson d. Wilson 8-1
Semifinals
Vanhpraseuth d. Myers 6-0, 6-0; Johnson d. Scesney 6-4, 6-0
Final
Vanhpraseuth d. Johnson 6-0, 6-0
Regional qualifiers
Singles
Ledford’s Tiffany Vanhpraseuth (18-2)
Salisbury’s Brooke Johnson (16-4)
West Davidson’s Olivia Myers
West Davidson’s Danielle Scesney
Salisbury’s Erika Nelson (21-1)
Doubles
Salisbury’s Hannah Lebowitz-Kirstin Meyerhoeffer (11-1)
Salisbury’s Shea Comadoll-Joy Loeblein (13-1)
Central Davidson’s Sarah Bowers-Caitlin Tysinger
Ledford’s Kelsey Gilliam-Grace Lackey
Central Davidson’s Lydia Beck-Haley Hanes