NSA boys’ tennis falls on Senior Day
Published 10:25 pm Thursday, May 2, 2013
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s boys’ tennis team made its Senior Day interesting on Thursday against the visitors from Norfolk Christian High School, but lost by a slim 5-4 margin.
“All of the matches were close with a few points here and there in each match being the difference,” NSA head coach Randolph Davis wrote in an email.
![Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior Jackson DeMello competes against visiting Norfolk Christian High School on Thursday. The Saints ultimately fell 5-4 as a team against the Ambassadors. NSA wore pink on its Senior Day to promote breast cancer awareness.](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/05/NSA-tennis.jpg)
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior Jackson DeMello competes against visiting Norfolk Christian High School on Thursday. The Saints ultimately fell 5-4 as a team against the Ambassadors. NSA wore pink on its Senior Day to promote breast cancer awareness. (Janine DeMello photo)
Davis offered high praise of Preston Firnstahl, who he wrote “had a great day winning at the (No. 2) doubles with Jackson DeMello and then coming back from a 6-1 defeat in the first set to win his singles match at (No. 4), winning the second set 6-3 and taking the third set tiebreak at 10-2.”
The day’s closest match came via the No. 3 doubles face-off with the Saints’ Nathan Pharr and Ryan Witherow competing. Davis noted that both teams had several match points, but the Ambassadors won 9-8, with tiebreak being 9-7.
“The Saints finished a great year with a 10-9 record and going 4-4 in the (Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools),” Davis stated. “This is the (first) winning record for the boys’ tennis team since going 9-7 in 2004.”
Singles results were as follows:
- David Cockerill (NC) def. Corey Cutright (NS), 6-2, 6-4
- Frank Batten (NC) def. Tucker Firnstahl (NS), 6-2, 6-2
- Ben Stckley (NC) def. Jackson DeMello (NS), 6-3, 6-4
- Preston Firnstahl (NS) def. Taylor Hoerr (NC), 1-6, 6-3, 10-2
- Nathan Pharr (NS) def. Grayson Daffron (NC), 6-4, 6-3
- Ryan Witherow (NS) def. Daniel Rocka (NC), 6-3, 6-1
Doubles results were as follows:
- Cockerill and Batten (NC) def. Cutright and T. Firnstahl (NS), 8-2
- DeMello and P. Firnstahl (NS) def. Stickley and Daffron (NC), 8-5
- Hoerr and Rocka (NC) def. Pharr and Witherow (NS), 9-8 (9-7)