MORGANTOWN — Even before COVID-19 canceled the entire 2020 high school spring sports calendar in West Virginia, including tennis, Morgantown’s then-junior Cat Wassick didn’t plan on playing for the Mohigans.
Wassick was a major part of MHS’ success as a No. 2 singles player and was part of the No. 1 doubles, helping the girls’ team championship as a sophomore in 2019.
As a junior, though, Wassick was starting at guard for the Mohigans’ basketball team, and was critical to its run to the state tournament. As the hoops season was winding down, she felt like she wanted to concentrate more on basketball than tennis.
Now, after spending an entire year off from tennis and coming in late to the team this season, Wassick is a regional champion in both singles and doubles, and will represent MHS in next week’s state tournament.
She beat University’s Deah Gharib in the Class AAA Region I No. 1 singles matchup Friday morning at Summit Tennis Academy, and then she joined teammate Amy Lu to claim the No. 1 doubles title over Wheeling Park’s Merritt Delk and Towne Moores.
So what changed?
It was a return with many twists and turns in the balance, and perhaps that biggest reason didn’t even come to fruition.
Wassick once again helped the girls’ basketball team reach the state tournament, getting as far as the semifinals. Due to a delayed winter schedule, the basketball and tennis seasons overlapped, so she only played basketball until that campaign was over.
In the meantime, the tennis team was led by No. 1 singles and doubles player Emme McKnight, who was also Wassick doubles partner in 2019.
“I really wanted to spend my last year with Emme,” Wassick said. “I really wanted to win a state championship in doubles together and as a team.
“But, unfortunately, Emme got hurt.”
Just as Wassick was going to return to the tennis courts, McKnight tore her labrum and needed surgery, prematurely ending her senior season.
Not only was Wassick without her partner and arguably biggest reason for coming back, she was pushed right into the No. 1 singles spot left by McKnight. Wassick also replaced McKnight on the No. 1 doubles group, joining Lu.
Wassick joined the team with about five matches left in the regular season, and the timing with McKnight’s injury perhaps saved MHS’ hope of repeating at the state tournament.
The Mohigans handily claimed the regional title with wins by singles No. 1 Wassick, No. 2 Lu, No. 3 Kassie Regules, No. 4 Samantha Carver, doubles No. 1 Wassick/Lu, and No. 2 Regules/Carver.
“We probably owe the championship to Cat,” MHS coach Ted Greenlee said. “She came back and took Emme’s place and we didn’t have to move everybody up, which probably saved us. University is really good so it would have been a fight, but it all worked out the way it was supposed to. We weren’t quite as dominant as we would have been with both Emme and Cat there, but we did a really good job all tournament long.”
For the Hawks, Gharib will represent in the state tournament with her second-place finish. No. 2 singles Emma Rusiecki, No. 3 singles Sydney Takacs and No. 2 doubles Takacs/Emma Daffner also earned a trip to Charleston.
“We’ve done the best in regionals and OVACs on the girls’ side since I’ve been coach for six years,” UHS coach Tim McClellan said. “It was really an amazing improvement by the girls to get second place in the region behind a very good Morgantown team.”
The state tournament is scheduled for June 3-5 in Charleston.
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