STATE EXTRA: On the cusp

BLACKSBURG
It was a day they had waited for a long time — 29 years to be exact.

Then on Friday, the Wilson Memorial girls tennis team waited some more.

And just when it appeared that it was on the verge of accomplishing something that hadn’t been done for a generation, they waited even longer as rain postponed the day’s events into the afternoon.

When they finally got their chance to play, the Hornets didn’t have to wait long at all.

Friday’s rain forced Wilson’s bid to advance to the Group A championship from Radford University’s outdoor courts to Virginia Tech’s indoor facility.

Originally, the Hornets had been scheduled to play at 9 a.m. inside. But with a total of eight team matches slated to be played indoors the VHSL had to mix up the schedule.

A couple of hours later, the Hornets were finally beckoned to play their state semifinal match against Middlesex, the Region A champs.

Had it not been for another half-hour rain delay, the Hornets would have taken less than an hour to dispose of their opponents.

Leading all six of their singles matches, Wilson returned to the court and quickly finished the job, sweeping Middlesex in short order.

Wilson senior Christine Coffield, playing at No. 1 had survived a 6-4 first set against Jessica Anderson and was leading 2-0 in the second when word came across the court that all five of her teammates had swept their opponents, giving Wilson an insurmountable lead to clinch the match.

“They all did so well,” Coffield said. “We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

Coffield and fellow seniors Jamie Stark, Amanda Gorby and Kala Guy had been anticipating this moment for four seasons. As freshmen in 2006, they had witnessed teammate Mary Anne Thompson reaching the state final as an individual.

The next two seasons, the Hornets fell to tennis powerhouse George Mason in the Region B tournament.

But last week, Wilson knocked George Mason out in the regional semifinals and went on to defeat Altavista in the Region B finals to finally make the state Final Four.

“Early on, these four seniors set a lofty goal,” said Wilson coach Seth Lovell. “Today, they were ready.

The stopping and starting around the raindrops didn’t seem to matter to the Hornets.

“It didn’t make a difference,” Guy said. “We had the right mind set.”

This morning, a tougher opponent looms.

Gate City, which won the Group A girls title five consecutive years from 2003-2007 is the only team standing in the way of a state championship.

“It will be a battle,” Lovell said. “We’re a deep team one through six and have a lot of talent. This is a new experience for all of us.”