THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410140269
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
IN SOME WAYS, Sara Guthrie and Carey Stafford are a lot alike.
Both are seniors on the highly successful Great Bridge girls tennis team, which they have played for since they were freshmen.
In their careers, they've each won a district title - Stafford over Guthrie in 1992, and Guthrie over Stafford last year.
Although they may often lead parallel lives, it's the two girls' differences that has led them to be such special players.
``They play completely different styles, but they help each other get better,'' said Kay Stone, who coaches the Wildcats along with Ginny Matish. ``They complement and benefit each other.''
Guthrie has played No. 1 singles for Great Bridge since she was a sophomore. As a year-round tennis player, she is the more highly rated of the two. Guthrie is more polished, with a hard-hitting game that relies on aggressiveness as much as it does sheer power.
Stafford, playing No. 2, is the polar opposite. A steady, conservative player, she rarely takes chances, and prides herself on returning most every shot.
``I stay at the baseline and get everything back,'' said Stafford, who has run up a 15-0 record. ``Sara makes you make mistakes.''
It's a testament to their skills that Guthrie and Stafford end up facing each other in the district final every year. The first time that happened, Stafford won in a grueling three set upset.
Even in victory it was a sad day for Stafford, who has been friends with Guthrie since the second grade.
``I couldn't believe I won ... it made me feel really bad,'' she said. ``But she really got even with me last year - I think she whipped me something like 6-0, 6-1. It wasn't really hard to play her that time, because it wasn't much of a match.''
``It's hard to play a friend, but you just have to try and forget about it,'' said Guthrie, who is 11-3 on the year. ``I play against Carey like I play against anyone else.''
As fate would have it, Guthrie and Stafford are going to make it three years straight in the Southeastern District final. Guthrie, the top seed, defeated teammate Megan Romash 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semis.
Stafford, the third seed, had a much more difficult path. She faced second-seeded Justyna Petsch of Churchland, dropping the first set 6-1. Stafford rallied from 5-4 down to score a 7-5 win in the second set.
In the third set tiebreaker, Stafford battled leg cramps along with Petsch but pulled out a 7-5 win to advance to the regionals along with Guthrie.
Both girls will also compete in the team competition in the Eastern Region tournament, since Great Bridge won the regular-season championship in the district. The Wildcats are scheduled to host Cox High School Monday at 3:30 p.m.
At practices, Guthrie and Stafford often request to hit with each other, and they've learned to make their opposing styles a method to helping each other improve.
``I think we get a lot from playing each other in practice,'' said Stafford. ``But we play such different games that it's hard for me to do the things she does.''
``I'm good for her, and she's good for me,'' agreed Guthrie. ``I give her a lot of shots to run down, and she gives me a lot of balls to hit.''
As their time together as tennis players winds down, the lifelong friends will be going their separate ways. Guthrie has every intention of playing college tennis, and is looking at James Madison, Virginia, and Washington & Lee as possibilities.
Stafford, not surprisingly, is taking a different route.
``I've been playing sports for a long time,'' said Stafford, who is also the starting shooting guard on the Wildcats' basketball team. ``I'm going to give up sports and just have fun in college.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Sara Guthrie, who has played No. 1 singles for Great Bridge since
sophomore year, relies on aggressiveness more than power.
Great Bridge senior Carey Stafford rarely takes chances and prides
herself on returning most every shot.
by CNB