Greater Reston Team Tennis Wins State Championship

A team of local youth athletes brought a state championship home to Reston over the weekend, and they’re not done.

The Greater Reston USTA JTT (U.S. Tennis Association Junior Team Tennis) under-14 intermediate team won the state championship tournament last weekend at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The team will now advance to the Mid-Atlantic Sectional on Aug. 7-8 where they’ll play the top teams from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.

Winning the state title was no easy feat, as one can imagine. Reston clung to a narrow lead in the championship team match against the McLean Honeybadgers, having to come from behind in the final match of the showdown (mixed doubles) to clinch the title once and for all.

“I’’m so happy for all (the kids) because they work so hard,” Elder said. “We’re just really thrilled. We’ve gotten great support from all the parents as well.”

The journey to a state title actually began last October, explained Elder. The Greater Reston team began its season in the Northern Virginia League (the same league as the Honeybadgers), where it amassed a perfect 7-0 regular-season record and then a 4-0 playoff record to qualify for the state tournament.

Because the Northern Virginia season ended in December and the state tournament wasn’t until last weekend, the Greater Reston squad needed a way to stay sharp during the time off. Elder said the team decided to compete at the advanced level in the winter/spring season, and finished in second place in the Northern Virginia League by season’s end.

The team rode high from the confidence of its strong finish in the advanced division as it entered statewide competition. Reston won the eight-team tournament without dropping a match, winning 108 of 150 games played in its five matches.

It defeated the Honeybadgers in the opening match of the tournament, which, including the title match and the regular season showdown in Northern Virginia, brings Reston’s record to a perfect 3-0 against McLean. Nevertheless, McLean will still qualify for the Mid-Atlantic Sectional as the state runner-up, joining the top two teams from Maryland, D.C. and West Virginia in the eight-team tournament.

Elder said he wasn’t sure who else would be at the tournament scheduled for next month, and said he’s still recovering from the long tournament weekend, which didn’t conclude until the team returned home close to midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning.

The Mid-Atlantic Sectional will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the same courts UVA plays its intercollegiate matches. Should Reston place high enough in the sectional, it will qualify for the national under-14 intermediate championship scheduled for October in South Carolina.

“It makes me feel very fortunate personally, and it’s great for the kids,” said coach Jim Elder. “The kids were just absolutely thrilled.”

Image credit: Michael R. Sanio (via Reston Association)

Image caption: Coaches (from left) — Mark Elder and Jim Elder; Team members (from left) — Samson Annavarapu, Valerie Yu, Celeste Constantine, Tory Lam, Renzo Sanio, Aveleen Waraich, Aban Gerayeli, Megan Bauer; Parent Captain — Nora Bauer.