Western Albemarle’s boys tennis dynasty continues with seventh straight state title

“I was real concerned with having an early match,” Warriors head coach Ron Manilla said. “High school [tennis teams] play at three or four o’clock in the afternoon.”

Because of the unusual timing, Western Albemarle ensured it was prepared heading into Thursday.

“We decided to have a 7:30 [a.m.] practice yesterday to maybe kind of get used to it,” Manilla said. “The practice yesterday — they brought it… They put out the energy, they put out the focus yesterday.”

“I think it really got us prepared for today, got us ready, warmed up, and just really motivated to win,” No. 3 singles player Gage Sturman said.

The Warriors transferred that enthusiasm to Thursday’s match, where they won, 5-0, for their seventh consecutive state championship.

Sturman and William Schundler put Western Albemarle on the board quickly in the No. 3 and No. 4 singles matches, respectively. Schundler swept both sets he played, and Sturman won his first frame, 6-2, before taking the second, 6-0.

“Focus in practice, commitment, discipline — it’s all just behind-the-scenes stuff that leads to success in matches,” Sturman said.

No. 6 singles player Daniel Stewart added a straight-set victory (6-0, 6-3), then No. 5 Jackson Smith took the fourth point for the Warriors with 6-2 and 6-4 set wins, respectively.

“The last four guys just excelled, and that’s what did it,” Manilla said.

Western Albemarle secured the match when Wade Sturman finished his two-set victory (6-3, 6-2).

Manilla is in his first year as head coach with the Warriors, and soaked in the moment the team had been training all year for.

“I was trying not to cry, because I felt just so, so good — so happy for these guys who worked so hard to do this,” he said. “It was just so touching, and such a warm feeling, and I’m just so proud of these guys.”