McCallie Advances To Final Four

[bbb]

McCallie Netters Advance to Final Four

 

Three-time defending state champion McCallie is the first team to qualify for the Division II AA state final four as the Tornado defeated visiting Evangelical Christian School, 5-0, this morning. The state tennis semis and finals are May 19-20 at MTSU.

 

McCallie winners were Chris Schlabach, Thomas Fanjoy, Sawyer Voges, William Disterdick and Nathan Winters.

 

Prior to this season, McCallie and Memphis University School (which plays its state quarters match later this week) are the only two schools in Division II to have won a first round match every year since the state tournament format switched in 1988 to a team competition rather than the team title determined by a system using singles and doubles play (1962-1987).

 

McCallie played its earliest non-state final four tournament match in school history with the 9 a.m. start against the Eagles.

 

???Both Paul Vanderzwaag (ECS coach) and I agreed to a 9 a.m. match due to AP tests and other finals,'' said McCallie coach Eric Voges. ???We have played some morning matches at the state finals in the past, but never this early in regular season or the first couple of playoff rounds.''

 

McCallie seniors Schlabach and Disterdick have AP finals this afternoon and ECS players have finals beginning Tuesday.

 

Changing Divisions: According to coach Vanderzwaag, ECS and Knoxville Webb (in D-II AA), along with University School of Jackson (Division I A/AA) will move to Division II A next school year.

 

???We have reached the state quarters several times, but have never advanced to the final four,'' said Vanderzwaag. ''Even though USJ and Webb should be the powers in D-II A for the next few years, being in the small school division will give us a chance to make the final four.''

 

Webb is the 2009 East/Middle Region champion in boys and girls and will be the prohibitive favorite in D-II A in 2010. St. Andrews-Sewanee girls and University School Nashville boys won the D-II A titles in 2008.

 

6-3 Format: The Division II tennis coaches have submitted a proposal to change the state team formate to a 6-3 (singles/doubles) format from the current 5-2 format. The D-II coaches are asking that the 6-3 format be used by all D-II teams (A and AA) and by D-I schools if coaches in that division wish to do so.

 

The 6-3 proposal will be up for a vote at the board of control meetings, June 9-11.

 

Division II AA State Quarterfinals

 

McCallie 5, ECS 0

 

Singles

 

#1 Chris Schlabach (McC) d. Paul Michael Peeler, 6-0, 6-0

 

#2 Thomas Fanjoy (McC) d. Nick Wiseman, 6-0, 6-1

 

#3 Sawyer Voges (McC) d. Michael Wiseman, 6-0, 6-0

 

#4 William Disterdick (McC) d. Wil Story, 6-0, 6-0

 

#5 Nathan Winters (McC) d. Jonathan Gordon, 6-2, 6-2

 

Records: McCallie (10-1), ECS (9-6)

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net