Radford girls fall in George Mason in state tennis final

RADFORD – Though the Radford Bobcats girls tennis team came away from Saturday’s Group A championship game with a 5-3 loss, Radford coach Ron Downs couldn’t be more proud of how his team competed.

“I was just really proud of our kids,” Downs said. “Mason has a good team and I’m not going to take anything away from them. … For us to go out there and win as many matches as we did and be in it from start to finish, it says a lot about how hard these girls have worked this year and how well they played today.”

George Mason claimed the top three singles matches as Miriam Salakaia defeated Cypress Beach, 6-0, 6-1, Kynadi Mauney downed Neha Desai, 6-1, 6-2 and Carrington Mauney blanked Morgan Miano, 6-0, 6-0.

But the pesky Bobcats hung tough, winning the bottom three singles matches. Senior Hannah Krayer defeated Peggy Brozi, 6-3, 6-1 and freshman Samantha Brooks blanked Madison Solyts, 6-0, 6-0. Junior Leah Patterson outlasted Dana Sembera, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 to notch things up at 3 as the teams headed to doubles.

“We knew it would come down to doubles,” Downs said. “So we put a little of time in on doubles, but they just had a little too much firepower for us in that third set. The match really couldn’t have gotten much closer than coming down to a third set in doubles.”

The Mauney sisters defeated Beach and Desai 6-1, 6-0 to give George Mason a 4-3 edge. Miano and Krayer tied their doubles match with Salakaia and Brozi at one set a piece, but the George Mason duo claimed a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory to give the Mustangs their first state title in 25 years.

Seniors Miano and Krayer noted how grueling the match was.

“It was honestly one of the hardest matches that I’ve had to play my four years of tennis,” Krayer said. “I’m honestly really proud of our team for making it this far.”

“It was probably toughest match that we’ve ever played,” Miano said. “I know I played the hardest competition I’ve ever played and they were very good.”

As the two of Radford’s four seniors left, Downs told them there was no reason to hang their heads.

“Every single one of them gave it all of their effort and that’s all I could ever ask of them,” Downs said.

Radford finished the season at 17-2 while George Mason closed out a 16-1 season.

Singles

Mariam Salakaia (GM) d. Cypress Beach, 6-0, 6-1; Kynadi Mauney (GM) d. Neha Desai, 6-1, 6-2; Carrington Mauney (GM) d. Morgan Miano, 6-0, 6-0; Hannah Krayer (R) d. Peggy Brozi, 6-3, 6-1; Leah Patterson (R) d. Dana Sembera, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2; Samantha Brooks (R) d. Madison Solyts, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles

K. Mauney and C. Mauney (GM) d. Beach and Desai, 6-1, 6-0; Salakaia and Brozi (GM) d. Miano and Krayer, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2; Patterson and Brooks (R) vs. Sembera and Solyts, 6-2, 2-0, DNF.

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