Before each of her team’s matches this season, Jamestown senior Leah Walter writes the phrase “CAF” on the top of her teammates’ hands to remind them of three words while on the court: Composure, Attitude and Focus.
If she ever needed a reminder of those three words during a match, Friday was it.
Leah and her younger sister, Anna, overcame a mentally and physically grueling Group AA doubles semifinal match against E.C. Glass’ Sydney Moon and Paige Riley to win in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, inside Virginia Tech’s tennis center late Friday afternoon.
The victory earned the Walter sisters a spot in the state doubles championship Saturday. They’ll play John Handley’s Jessie Nolan and Kathryn Boch in the final, immediately following the AA team championship match at 9 a.m., when they’ll aim to help Jamestown win its first state title since 2006 against Western Albermarle.
Leah and Anna were tied 4-4 with Nolan and Boch in Jamestown’s team state quarterfinal against Handley on Tuesday before the Eagles clinched a 5-2 win.
The Walter sisters fell 3-6 in the opening set, which featured as much verbal back-and-forth as there was volleying over the net, as calls were often disputed and brought to the official’s attention.
“It’s an important match, and you had two girls on each side of the net who are very intense,” Jamestown coach Karen Johnson said.
The chippiness died down after both coaches talked to their players, reminding them to do the talking with their play, and not with their mouths.
That’s when the Walters found their stride.
After falling behind 0-2 in the second set, Leah and Anna rallied to win 6-3 and send the match to a deciding third set.
The change in momentum was evident as the two sisters played with a renewed sense of confidence, communicated beautifully and were in complete control during the entire third set. After losing nine combined games in the first two sets, the Walters rolled to a 6-0 third-set and match-clinching victory.
“There was a lot of ‘stuff’ going on in the first set, and once [Leah and Anna] got away from that, they dominated,” Johnson added.
Glass’ coach Jill Murray said she thought her two players became rattled after dropping the second set. Earlier in the day, Moon and Riley played and lost at No. 1 and No. 2 singles before dropping their match at No. 1 doubles in Glass’ 5-2 semifinal loss against Western Albermarle.
“It was a tough day for them,” Murray said. “The physicality of playing three matches and not winning took a toll on them, physically and emotionally. But there are no excuses. Jamestown played a great match and persevered.”
While Leah and Anna may have had the fresher legs without having to play doubles in Jamestown’s 5-0 win over Hidden Valley earlier in the afternoon, the sisters said that remaining mentally focused was the difference.
“We never got down on ourselves, we were always keeping the energy up and staying super intense, and that’s a big reason why we won,” Leah said.
“It was all about confidence,” Anna added.
The two sisters talked about their performance in the video above.
Group AA Tennis Doubles Championship
Leah Walter/Anna Walter (Jamestown) vs.
Jessie Nolan/Kathryn Boch (John Handley)
