Bishop tennis rolls in playoff opener

KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness started its postseason on a strong note.The second-seeded Villains quickly dispatched 15th-seeded Roxboro Community School 6-0 on Monday at Bishop in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A West dual-team girls tennis playoffs.“That first match is always the toughest,” Bishop coach Larry Ingram said. “They’re not a hard-hitting team, and that’s always the big challenge. Especially towards the end of the season, you’re used to harder-hitting teams.“Now you’re having to back up and that’s always a tough adjustment. Some players have a tough time adjusting to that. And it’s just reinforcing: Hit your stroke and don’t lower yourself to their game.”Lucia Neves — a singles state champion the last two years — rolled in her match at No. 1, winning 6-0, 6-0. She won points in droves and quickly set the tone for the afternoon overall, losing only a handful of points throughout.“I think maybe four, if I’m being honest,” she said with a smile. “It’s just sticking to my routines and stuff. I like to be very aggressive, and I like to have everything the same. I really stick to my routines. And I don’t really like anything to be different, just superstitions and stuff.“But every match is the same, no matter who you play. So my thing is going out there and playing 100% every time. And you’re always just trying to get better. It’s not about wins and losses. So, whenever I’m out here, I’m just trying to improve myself and obviously help the team.”Amelia Zook, coming back from a recent illness, added a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 2. Nan Laney won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3, while Porter Redmond won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4. MK Suire won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5, and Stella Ropko won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6.“I think we played pretty well,” Neves said. “We’ve had a few people out. And I think this was a good match just to come back into it and just start off strong. They’re a pretty good team, but I think we just really stuck to our game today. We played really well and pulled it out.“Everyone’s pretty strong,” she added. “I think we have a really strong bottom half. They’re really consistent, and they’re very athletic players. They get to everything. So they’re really good backboards, which is really what you need in tight situations — just get the ball back.”Bishop (15-5), champion of the Greater Triad 1A/2A Conference, will host seventh-seeded Community School of Davidson in the second round Wednesday at its new on-campus courts.The Villains will also compete in the 2A Midwest regional Friday and Saturday hosted by Cornerstone Charter. Neves and Redmond will play as singles, while Laney/Suire and Zook/Ropko will play as doubles.Qualifiers from the regionals will advance to the individual state championship Oct. 23-24 in Cary. Dual-team playoffs will continue next week as well.“Coach (David) Winters and I have been telling them, ‘I don’t think you’ve peaked yet,’ ” Ingram said. “They have progressively gotten better — especially our No. 4 and No. 6, Porter and Stella.“Their game has really stepped up in the last weeks. And I think playing up (while Zook was out three weeks) helped them. They have been more focused. So I like where we are.”