Jamestown’s Leah Walter fell 6-0, 6-1 in the Group AA state singles semifinal today, losing to Western Albemarle’s Emily Kochard.
“Leah got off to a shaky start, unlike her usual self. It was frustrating for her, especially playing such a strong opponent,” Eagles coach Karen Johnson said. “[Kochard] was a lefty with pinpoint accuracy on her strokes and was just a strong all-around player.”
Kochard kept her unforced errors to a minimum against Walter in the first set and was able to capitalize on Walter’s shaky start to shut her out for a 6-0 win.
In the second set, Walter settled down and started putting pressure on Kochard by forcing longer points, pushing many of the game points to 40-30. She managed to win a game in that set, but Kochard’s precision prevailed.
“It was a great way for Leah to cap off a great four years for us by finishing as one of the best four players in the state,” Johnson said. “Leah was originally down on herself, but she had her whole team there, which none of the other girls had. That really meant a lot to her.”
Following the team match, Walter and her younger sister, Anna, a freshman, will play in the state AA doubles semifinal against E.C. Glass’ Paige Riley and Sydney Moon.
“The girls had a fun, easygoing day. We all went bowling and are looking forward to a hard match tomorrow,” Johnson said.
