CRYSTAL RIVER – It was the equivalent of overtime in Class 2A, District 7 girls tennis on Thursday afternoon, as Crystal River and Nature Coast met in a tiebreaker match.
The two teams were even following the two-day district tournament held in Zephyrhills on Tuesday and Wednesday, and while both were assured of advancing to regionals, they still had to decide a champion.
So they battled it out at the Bicentennial Park courts in Crystal River, and it was the Lady Sharks finally coming out with the team victory, 4-2.
“The girls came in very confident,” Nature Coast head coach Kristine Brown said. “They said they wanted to be district champs. Nature Coast hasn’t won a district championship in several years on the girls side, so they said they were ready to be district champs.
“It was tough because the girls were saying they were pretty tired today, but they fought through it and they brought their ‘A’ game.”
The difference in this one came down to two spots where the Lady Sharks turned around previous losses, at No. 5 singles and No. 1 doubles.
In singles action, Maddie Lewis earned the victory for Crystal River at No. 1, taking an 8-2 nod over Angela Cabahug. All matches were played in a pro set as mandated by state rules.
Shannon Hancock added another win for the Lady Pirates at No. 2, capturing the most competitive match of the day, 8-6 over Nicole Remedio.
But Nature Coast dominated the bottom portion of the lineup, with Sierra Remondelli blanking Tess Redrick at No. 3, 8-0, and Mackenzie Vraspir topping Claire Redrick at No. 4, 8-1.
At No. 5, Crystal River’s Bibi Marquezi faced Beatrice Roseus in a rematch of the previous day’s district final, won by Marquezi, 6-4, 7-5. It was a different story this time around, with Roseus taking the critical matchup, 8-3.
“She came out determined to win,” Brown said. “She came to me and said, ‘I’m going to win this.’ Once she knew that Nicole lost, she said, ‘I’m going to win for Nicole.’”
“I minimized errors this time. I played my game and I wasn’t as nervous. I just did my best,” Roseus said. “It means the world to me. I did this for my team. I just want to make them proud.”
Needing to claim just one more win to close out the Lady Pirates, the Lady Sharks got it in the first doubles contest when Cabahug and Remedio gained redemption against Lewis and Hancock, 8-2.
“We wanted to avenge ourselves. When lost our singles, we wanted to win doubles,” Remedio said. “We have a lot of chemistry together. We’ve known each other since freshman year when we started tennis together. So it was just how well we know each other.”
“In doubles, we cheer each other up every time we make a mistake and we remind each other about strategies and all that stuff,” Cabahug said. “And in doubles, we just have more confidence. We’re confident in each other’s strengths.”
Remondelli and Vrapsir were ahead 6-2 over the two Redricks at No. 2, but with the overall outcome sealed, the two doubles teams opted not to finish.
Thanks to this triumph, Nature Coast will get the opportunity to host a regional semifinal on Tuesday, taking on Fivay at 3 p.m.
“I expect them to bring their ‘A’ game and play just like they did today,” Brown said.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.