Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406030044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: POQUOSON LENGTH: Medium
The Spartans' No. 2 doubles team of Mark Byington and Jon Valera outlasted Michal Pfeil and Rodriguo DeLaSerna 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of team play to give Salem a 5-4 victory in the championship match of the Group AA boys' tennis tournament on Thursday.
Salem beat the Indians by the same score in the 1993 semifinals.
"It was the same thing [in last year's final]," said Salem's Kevin Dalal. "We were down 4-2 in the team scoring and came on to win."
The Blue Ridge District almost made it a clean sweep in state championship play. Lord Botetourt's Jay Gilliland survived a cracked racket and overcame Jason Hylton of Robert E. Lee 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to win the Group AA singles title.
The Blue Ridge was denied its third championship when Salem's Dalal and Jeff Henley lost the doubles championship to Greg Burns and Alper Ozinal of Waynesboro 6-4, 7-5.
The Spartans hold a 4-3 advantage in over Blacksburg over the last two years of what has become Timesland's best boys' tennis rivalry.
Thursday's match was tied 3-3 after singles play and was knotted 4-4 after the teams split No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Dalal and Henley beat Blacksburg's Robert Gibb and Jeff Varner 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 doubles, setting the stage for the clinching victory by Byington and Valera.
Blacksburg's third doubles tandem of Justin Turner and Jason Hardy eased past Will Wimmer and Pete Moran 6-3, 6-3.
In team singles, Gibb beat Dalal 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 to force a 3-3 tie. Blacksburg also got singles wins from Turner and Varner at fourth and fifth singles. Salem's singles winners were Henley, Valera and Byington.
by CNB