Wakefield girls tennis
Shani Ervin and the Wakefield girls tennis team host Leesville Road in a crucial match Tuesday.
Wakefield tennis getting back on track
Wolverines, Pride square off Tuesday afternoon
While the tennis season has only reached its halfway point this week, Wakefield's home match with Leesville Road Tuesday already has playoff implications.
With Broughton all but certain to go through the Cap-7 Conference unbeaten, the Lady Wolverines and Pride square off for second place, and the league's second of two automatic playoff births.
Although there's a chance the third-place finisher might draw a wild-card appearance, the only way to guarantee a postseason spot is taking the Cap-7's runner-up spot.
Hence, the importance of Tuesday's match.
Wakefield and Leesville have duked-it-out for second the past few seasons, and this fall appears to be no different.
After a tumultuous week to start September, falling to Broughton 9-0 and Green Hope 8-1, the Lady Wolverines definitely needed to regain their early-season stride.
Wakefield coach Ken Stewart called the defeats "humbling," but a great learning experience.
"We took a lot of good things from those losses," he said. "We played well in matches, but those are two really tough teams we went up against."
Stewart lauded Shani Ervin and Alanna Albrecht for pulling out a doubles' win against the Falcons, singling out the duo's competitive nature.
The coach called Broughton and Green Hope's talent "scary," but added it was good to see the excellent skill level being played in the state.
"They are superb, there's not much more you can say," he said.
The Wolverines rebounded the following week, taking down Sanderson 6-3 Sept. 8.
Ally Prior, Taylor Orlando, Caroline Kohls, Kristin Cochran and Ervin all scored victories in their respective singles' matches.
Courtney Trumps pulled out Sanderson's lone singles' win.
In doubles, Sanderson's teams of Claire Sanderson/Jenna Watral and Abby Costello/Christine Buch posted victories.
Millbrook's Candice Brown won her singles match against Wakefield last week.
Two days later, Wakefield knocked off Millbrook 8-1, taking five of six singles and sweeping the doubles' play.
The game of the match was Wakefield's Albrecht dueling Millbrook's Anna Adcroft in No. 4 singles, but the Lady Wolverine eventually pulled out a 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 10-6 win.
In No. 1 singles, Prior tallied a 6-2, 6-1 win over Emily White.
Candice Brown notched the Lady Wildcats' only point, defeating Ervin 6-3, 7-5.
In doubles' action, Wakefield's Nicki Wenick and Cochran scored an impressive 8-0 victory.
"We've had a lot of injuries, and some sickness, and to be honest, I was a little bit worried about that one," Stewart said. "Everyone played really well though."
With Amy Weischedel and Alicia Busch leading the Pride's attack, Tuesday's match-up with Wakefield could be a knock-down, drag-out event. It could be the difference between which team's season continues past the conference tournament.
Following their match-up against one another, the Pride hosts Sanderson Thursday, Sept. 17, and Wakefield visits Wake Forest-Rolesville the same day.
