Locals Come Up Short in Matches

RADFORD, Va. – Chad Sheppard tried everything.

Powerful forehands, well-placed lobs, accurate backhands – the Gate City senior displayed a variety of skills Thursday morning at Radford University.

For the second straight year, Sheppard’s bid for a Group A state singles title in tennis was blocked by Radford’s Malik Mubeen. The slender 6-foot Mubeen earned the championship with a 6-0, 6-0 decision.

“I gave my all to each point, and tried to track down every shot even if it didn’t look good. I definitely hustled,” Sheppard said.

It was the third consecutive berth in the tournament for Sheppard, who earned his first semifinal victory Thursday:  6-2, 6-3 against Brian Sham of George Mason.

Because of the threat of rain, the start of the championship match was moved up two hours. Sheppard had just about one hour to prepare, but he agreed to the switch.

“My first match was grinding,” Sheppard said. “I wish I could have a little more time to get my legs under me, but I understand the move with the weather conditions.”

Mubeen, the defending state champion, defeated Sheppard 6-1, 6-1 in last year’s semifinals.

“Last year was pretty rough, but I think I’m a totally different player now,” Sheppard said.

In addition to hustle, Sheppard relied on quickness and aggression en route to his semifinal win. Sheppard has been refining his strokes under the guidance of East Tennessee State University women’s tennis coach Steve Brooks.

Trailing 5-0 in the first set, Sheppard was able to force a break point but Mubeen was just too consistent and strong. Mubeen,  who will play tennis at Swarthmore (Pa.) College next year, was happy that the rain stayed away. The indoor tennis facility at Virginia Tech was ready as a backup plan.

“These courts suit my game really well,” Mubeen said. “They are really slow, so I have time to wind up and hit my shots. Tennis should be played outside anyway.”
Mubeen was impressed with Sheppard, a former point guard for the Gate City basketball team.

“[Sheppard] got to everything, and he hit a few extra shots,” Mubeen said.

Sheppard (12-3) and the unbeaten Mubeen will meet again today at 1 in the team semifinals. Gate City claimed its first championship last year, stopping Radford 5-3 in the finals.
Every GC starter except one is back.

Sheppard’s father, Ron, played nose guard for the Carson-Newman football team in the early 1980s. The son recently signed to play tennis at Carson-Newman.

Region D girls champion Andi Kilgore (17-5) of J.J. Kelly also won raves for hustle and determination, but she had no answer for the power of George Mason senior Michelle Repper.
While Kilgore dropped a 6-0, 6-0 decision, she maintained her trademark smile and charisma.

“There are a lot of good players in my district and region, but [Repper] hits the ball a lot harder that I’m used to facing. She also has an awesome serve that has power and spin,” Kilgore said. “I’d say that was the best player I’ve ever faced.”

Repper (14-2) advanced to the state singles semifinals as a sophomore, and has accompanied the tradition-rich George Mason team to state three times.

Meanwhile, Kilgore has only been playing tennis for three years and had never even seen the Radford University courts before this week. Kilgore played five sports at Kelly, and qualified for the Group A state track and field meet four times.

“I talked to [Repper] during the match, and she said that she had been playing tennis since around age 11,’’ Kilgore said. “She’s got the hang of things, I believe. I just wish I had started that early.”

J.J. Kelly assistant coach Danny Wood said he can imagine what more experience would have meant to Kilgore’s game.

“It’s amazing the progress Andi has made considering her lack of experience,” Wood said.  “Andi didn’t go through the routine that most tennis players do. She didn’t take private lessons or get extra frills as a member of the country club.”

Wood said he will never forget his discovery of Kilgore at a meeting of potential Kelly tennis players three years ago.

“Andi had this little bitty junior racquet,” Wood said. “I watched her hit for about 10 minutes, then told me wife that was one player we wanted to keep.”

The 5-foot-2 Kilgore has helped spark a renaissance of a Kelly tennis program which won over 100 straight matches during the 1990s.

“When my wife and I took over at Kelly, we had a hard time just getting enough players to come out to field a team,” Wood said. “We won the district last year, then went 20-2 this season with four freshmen.

“Andi is a great role model for any program. I’ve coached girls that had more talent, but I’ve never worked with anyone who had more heart or a better attitude than Andi.”

The success story of Kilgore carries over to academics where she earned an AIM Higher scholarship that will pay her entire college tuition. Kilgore plans to attend Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap for one year before transferring to a four-year college.

“I’m sure that I will continue to play tennis at some level,” said Kilgore, who is considering a career in the medical field. “I’ve fallen in love with the game, and I’m sure this experience of competing at whole new playing field will help me. It’s been an awesome journey so far.”

The Gate City duo of Dalton Moore and J.T. McConnell posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Perry Lowder and Matthew Cody of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in the opening round of doubles play Thursday. Moore and McConnell will face Mubeen and Sanjay Kishore for the title Saturday.

Salem sophomore Patrick O’Keefe, who survived a wild three-set battle over Abingdon junior Randall Carter in the Region IV singles final, won his second straight Group AA state championship Thursday with a pair of comfortable straight set wins.

In the girls’ single final, Bland County freshman Grace Sarver stopped Repper, 6-1, 7-5.

Competition in team and girls doubles begins today. The Gate City girls and boys will both face Radford, while Tori Bowen and Morgan Taylor of GC will represent Region D in doubles.