CHARLESTON — It was one year ago that Mackenzie Sorton and Bella Mascari got their first taste of gold. Now they’re back, and they want more.
Sorton and Mascari took home the WVSSAC Class AAA girls’ No. 3 doubles crown last spring, and today they will return to the championship stage in a new position — No. 2 doubles.
The pair advanced following wins in May 11’s quarterfinal round against Parkersburg South and semifinal round over George Washington, at the Charleston Catholic Athletic Complex.
“If we could get it again, that’d be so great,” Sorton said. “It’d just show all our hard work paid off.”
Sorton, who also advanced to the finals in No. 4 singles action, is riding a hot streak dating back to her first match of the spring — she hasn’t lost once.
“I was nervous to come down here because I hadn’t lost in the regular season, and I was telling myself I just knew that this would be the one,” she said. “But I’m extremely grateful to come down here and play for the championships.”
Cat Wassick, who nabbed a semifinal victory in No. 2 singles, will join Sorton and Mascari in the finals.
“It was a good match,” she said of her performance.
Wassick, a freshman, didn’t envision herself playing for a state title at the end of this week, but is it excited to represent her team and school.
“I knew there were going to be good teams and good players out her; I knew it’d be tough,” she said. “I want to support my team as best as I can.”
MHS head coach Ted Greenlee had high expectations entering the tournament, and is pleased that the girls’ lived up to the hype.
“I knew that we had the potential to get three into finals. The girls didn’t disappoint me; they played excellently,” he said. “It’s been a thrill to see how well these girls have played and how hard they’ve worked all year, and to get them through to finals and give them a chance at some individual state championships is a pleasure.”
The three finalists pace a Mohigan squad that currently sits in a three-way tie for first place in the team standings. According to Greenlee, “it will all depend on the finals.”
“They’ve played every match hard; they’ve played excellent tennis all year. They focused in on the state tournament, and they’ve been really impressive,” he said.
The No. 1 doubles squad of Wassick and Emme McKnight tallied a quarterfinal victory against Woodrow Wilson before falling to Parkersburg in the semis. Vinitha Joseph dropped a No. 3 singles semifinal match, while the No. 3 doubles of Joseph and Ashalia Aggarwal also bowed out in the semis.
“I’m proud of these girls,” Greenlee said. “They really worked hard all year, and the end result is that they’re playing well in the state tournament.”
The action at the state tournament will resume at 8 a.m. May 12
