Justin Scacco / [email protected]
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A brother and sister duo from Truckee swept the Class 3A Northern Region Singles Playoffs last weekend.
Senior Paige Wilcox and sophomore Kiefer Wilcox each battled their way through the 16-player tennis tournament at Tahoe Donner Tennis Center to give the Wolverines a sweep of the individual titles.
“It means a lot,” said Kiefer Wilcox. “This is only my sophomore year, so hopefully a few more, but I’m just going to keep working.”
Wilcox, who finished third at the regionals last year, entered this year’s regionals as the No. 2 seed and cruised into the quarterfinals without dropping a game. Wilcox then took a 6-2, 6-1 win in the semifinals, and then advanced to the championship behind a 6-4, 6-0 win in the semifinals.
Wilcox would matchup with South Tahoe’s Brennan Monroe in the championship match on Saturday, and after a tight start, managed to settle in to claim a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
“I was a little nervous at the start, and then kind of turned it on,” said Wilcox, who pointed to breaking Monroe’s serve in the first set to move ahead 6-4 as the turning point of the match.
Shortly after Kiefer Wilcox had a gold medal draped around his neck, his sister added to the family’s collection of titles with an individual championship of her own.
“I wasn’t expecting it going into the season because it’s my first year playing singles,” said Paige Wilcox.
Wilcox is in her second year of playing tennis. Last year, she won doubles with Truckee alumna Bryce Manning. With her partner graduated, Wilcox decided to make the switch to singles this season.
Liker her brother, Wilcox entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and won her first match without dropping a game. Wilcox went on to win her quarterfinal matchup without dropping a game, and then received a walkover into the championship match.
In the finals, Wilcox met up with top-seeded Emily Huff, of North Valleys. The two players engaged in a spirited match, featuring lengthy rallies and close games.
“It was a really good match, really long rallies,” said Wilcox. “She hit a lot of really good shots.”
Wilcox managed swing momentum in her favor to win the first set 6-4. She then captured the regional championship in the second set, winning 6-2.
The siblings will now lead Truckee into Las Vegas for the Class 3A team and individual state tournaments. The team state championships will get underway Thursday at Bishop Gorman High School. Singles and doubles tournaments will begin the following day.
“I just need to stay focused and practice making aggressive shots,” said Paige Wilcox. “I’m going down there with confidence.”
The Truckee girls’ team won the regional championship earlier in the month, while the boys’ team finished runners-up.
“I’m so proud of our team and our coaches are awesome,” added Paige Wilcox. “I’m really proud of them.”
