Wood girls win doubles crown

From Star Staff Reports

STERLING — A day after missing her first individual berth in the Group AA tournament, James Wood junior Headley Wilson punched her ticket to the state doubles tournament for the third straight year.

Wilson and Tarah Wampler survived a three-set thriller to defeat Handley’s Sarah Moomau and Katie Gordon 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 6-3 to win the Region II doubles championship Wednesday at Dominion High School.

Wilson and Wampler battled back to take the first set after letting a 4-3 advantage slip away. The Colonels’ teammates lost the next two games despite leading 40-15 in both, but then rallied to win the next three games.

“Tarah played extremely well today,” James Wood coach Rob Haskiell said. “Sarah and Katie were going after her — but in the first and third set — Tarah really responded.” Wilson and Wampler, who have only been doubles partners since a lineup switch in second half of the season, defeated Loudoun County’s Megan Hurley and Elise Rivera 7-5, 7-5 in the quarterfinals, and then beat a team from Fauquier 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Wilson advances to her third straight Group AA doubles state tournament, and the Colonels junior gets a chance at her third straight doubles state championship. Wilson and former teammate Kari Pope won the past two Group AA doubles titles before Pope graduated last year.

Moomau and Gordon, who were 2-0 against Wilson and Wampler heading into Wednesday’s match, defeated Freedom’s Carla Wong and Joanna Tayamen 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and then defeated Monticello’s Lizzy Gaffney and Margret Rives 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.