Bay's Moody on track for state tennis berth

PENSACOLA — Bay’s Jason Moody remained on course Wednesday for a return to the Class 2A state tennis tournament.

Moody overcame a first-set letdown against Rutherford’s Nick Tran and rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win in their No. 1 singles semifinal match to advance to Thursday’s District 1-2A championship. With another victory, Moody will guarantee his place in the FHSAA state tournament April 20-22 at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry.

Gulf Breeze leads the boys’ team scores with 10 points, followed by Bay (7), Pensacola (7), Rutherford (5), Arnold (3) and West Florida (1). Arnold and Gulf Breeze are tied for the lead in the girls’ team scores with 10 points apiece. Pensacola was third (5), followed by Rutherford (3), Bay (2) and West Florida (2).

Team champions advance to regionals scheduled for next week. District champions in No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles not on those teams advance directly to the state tournament.

Moody’s teammate, No. 2 singles player Tyler Barr, advanced to the finals in his division with a 6-1, 6-1 semifinal win over Arnold’s Brady Jackson. Moody and Barr also will pair up for doubles play Thursday and will need two victories to advance to state if Bay is unable to capture the team crown.

Moody plays Gulf Breeze’s Clay Pfeifler — a player who beat Moody twice earlier this year — in Thursday’s singles championship.

“He feels confident,” Bay coach Kay Kovaleski said. “He knows he’s good enough. It’s just physically how he’ll feel. He’s a little nervous because he’s been so sick, but if he puts that out of his mind I think he’ll be OK.”

Tran had also upended Moody this year, but the Bay standout was able to come back after struggling through the first set.

“(Moody) tried doing too much too quick,” Kovaleski said. “He got out of rhyrhm, and after he lost that first set I told him to just slow down, get your shots back and that it’s OK to rally with him. That seemed to help him get his timing and rhythm back. Then he started hitting winners a little bit better.”

Rutherford’s Neil Vijapura reached the title match in No. 3 singles, beating West Florida’s Andrew Ephron and Bay’s Pat Barry. Bay’s Dylan McCormick had a first-round bye and then beat Arnold’s Jacob Willenborg 6-2, 6-1 to reach the No. 4 singles final.

In the girls’ tournament, Arnold’s top three singles players — No. 1 Bianca Biglione, No. 2 Tori Pettofrezzo and No. 3 Emma Moskowitz — all advanced to title matches in their respective divisions. Biglione defeated West Florida’s Melanie Lewis 6-2, 6-2 in the semis, Pettofrezzo defeated Bay’s Caroline Hanson 6-1, 6-1 in a semifinal matchup, and Moskowitz earned a pair of victories to reach the finals.

Arnold’s No. 5 singles entry, Natalia Busuttil, beat Rutherford’s Sarah Warkander and Bay’s Chloe Harris to reach the finals.

Biglione and Pettofrezzo both enjoyed first-round byes in singles and doubles. They’ll be seeking a doubles championship Thursday, too.

The following is a recap of local players’ results:

BOYS

Singles

• No. 1 — First round: Jason Moody (Bay) bye; Nick Tran (Ruth) d. Robert Vinson (WF) 6-0, 6-1; Noah Barnes (Pen) d. Hudson Meeks (Arn) 6-4, 6-0. Semifinals: Moody d. Tran 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
• No. 2 — First round: Tyler Barr (B) bye; Sammy Alsheikh (Pen) d. Patrick Robinson (R) 6-4, 6-0; Brady Jackson (A) d. Kyle Baxlanger (WF) 6-0, 6-0. Semifinals: Barr d. Jackson 6-1, 6-1.
• No. 3 — First round: Pat Barry (B) bye; Neil Vijapura (R) d. Andrew Ephron (WF) 6-1, 6-4; Yahn Olsen (Pen) d. Raj Patel (A) 6-2, 6-2. Semifinals: Vijapura d. Barry 6-4, 6-2.
• No. 4 — First round: Dylan McCormick (B) bye; Jacob Willenborg (A) d. Will England (R) 6-2, 6-0. Semifinals: McCormick d. Willenborg 6-2, 6-1.
• No. 5 — First round: Chris Walters (R) d. Connor Healy (B) 6-3, 6-2; Caleb Ward (WF) d. Jacob Blythe (A) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Semifinals: Jay Martin (GB) d. Walters 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

• No. 1 — First round: Moody-Barr bye; Tran-Vijapura d. Vinson-Ephron 6-0, 6-1; Barnes-Donaghey (Pen) d. Meeks-Jackson 6-3, 6-1.
• No. 2 — First round: Willenborg-Patel d. Robinson-England 6-2, 7-6 (5); Barry-McCormick d. Baxlanger-Clark (WF) 6-0, 6-4.

GIRLS

Singles

• No. 1 — First round: Bianca Biglione (A) bye; Felicia Pitts (R) d. Dezy Bacon (B) 6-3, 6-2. Semifinals: Biglione d. Melanie Lewis (WF) 6-2, 6-2; Jen Pfeifler (GB) d. Pitts 6-0, 6-0.
• No. 2 — First round: Tori Pettofrezzo (A) bye; Megan Stockcamp (Pen) d. Rachel Reiss (R) 6-3, 6-1; Caroline Hanson (B) d. Rocio Gomez-Novo (WF) 6-4, 6-2. Semifinals: Pettofrezzo d. Gomez-Novo 6-1, 6-1.
• No. 3 — First round: Emma Moskowitz (A) d. Kendall Montesano (WF) 6-0, 6-0; Luna Alsalhi (B) d. Amanda Paulson (R) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Semifinals: Moskowitz d. Elizabeth Shald (Pen) 6-3, 6-3; Kelly Barnhill (GB) d. Alsalhi 6-0, 6-1.
• No. 4 — First round: Kalyn Jordan (A) d. Crystal Glover (WF) 6-0, 6-4; Jennifer Johnson (R) d. Lynn Higby (B) 6-2, 6-4. Semifinals: Kamilla Cuzaja (Pen) d. Jordan 6-3, 6-1; Catherine Farmer (GB) d. Johnson 6-1, 6-2.
• No. 5 — First round: Natalia Busuttil (A) d. Sarah Warkander (R) 6-1, 6-4; Chloe Harris (B) bye. Semifinals: Busuttil d. Harris 6-3, 7-6 (1).

Doubles

• No. 1 — First round: Biglione-Pettofrezzo bye; Pitts-Reiss d. Bacon-Hanson 6-4, 6-3.
• No. 2 — First round: Moskowitz-Jordan d. Paulson-Johnson 6-1, 7-6 (1); Higby-Alsalhi bye.