For Cave Spring Girls State Tennis Champs “It’s All About The Team”

Ask Cave Spring head coach Susan Delp the key to the school’s first-ever girls tennis state championship, and you’ll get an emphatic reply.

“It’s all about the team!”

At first glance that may seem somewhat modest, considering that two of the members of the Cave Spring nine-girl squad are her own daughters, Fallon and Reagan Delp.

And, a little extra Delp when you consider her husband, Ken, also helps out with some of the coaching duties for the team. But, the team concept paid great dividends in the end.

It all fell into place the early part of June when Cave Spring entered the final weekend at the VHSL Spring Jubilee with not one, but three shots at winning a 3A state tennis championship. Fallon Delp headed to Liberty University gunning for the state singles title, Fallon and Reagan were still in the mix for a state doubles championship and the Cave Spring team remained alive to the biggest prize of them all.

“Going into the final weekend we talked about it a lot,” Susan Delp said. “We had three chances at bringing home a state championship. But, there was no mistake about it, the team championship was the biggest.”

Thursday’s singles offered a grueling format for Fallon that included having to play one of two semifinals in the morning, with the two survivors following that afternoon for the title.

In the morning semifinal, Fallon fought off temperatures in the upper-80s and 3A East champion Gaby Tersigni to advance with a 6-4; 4-6; 6-1 win that took over two hours to complete. In the other semifinal, Abingdon’s Tyler Blalock rolled to a 6-0; 6-0 win that took less than 45 minutes. That fast-paced win gave Blalock, the defending 3A state champ, plenty of time to rest before her showdown with Delp.

Delp hung tough in the final, rallying on more than one occasion before falling to Blalock 6-1; 7-6 (7-4).

“I was disappointed,” Fallon said of her singles setback. “It was so hot. I was using ice towels and overall I played well. Tyler is a very good player,”

“She played great tennis,” Susan said of Fallon. “As both her mom and her coach, I was really proud of how she played.”

The Delps returned to Roanoke on Thursday knowing they would be back Friday for the same back-to-back semi-finals/ final format in doubles. This time around the Delp sisters turned the tide with authority.

Fallon and Reagan dispatched James Monroe’s Lucy Castles and L.C. King 6-1; 6-3 in the semifinals, then completed the sweep later that day when they knocked off Abingdon’s Blalock and Haley Stallard 7-5; 6-2 in a match that was forced indoors midway through after a thunderstorm swept across the Liberty courts.

“It was strange when we had the delay and went indoors,” Reagan Delp noted.

“There was a lot of pressure, but we were able to stay positive, even when we had to travel 20 minutes to an indoor court ,” Fallon added.

“I think it helped when we went indoors,” Ken Delp said. “The Abingdon girls lost their momentum.”

With one state championship in the books, it was time for the Knights’ team to take center stage on Saturday.

In addition to Fallon and Reagan, the Cave Spring team consisted of Caitlin Carter, Veronica Hamilton, Christy Goldsmith, Bianca Roman, Maha Ali, Maddie Harrison and Jayali Samarasinghe. Susan Delp says each of those nine girls has a vital role in the team’s overall success.

“You can’t win a team championship with one or two players,” Susan noted. “Six players in singles and six typically paired for the three doubles make it a total team effort. Our top three are the strongest, but our bottom three are good, very good. Any one of our nine players could easily be a top player for many teams. It’s a great situation to have.”

“Fallon has a great mental aspect and has all the shots,” Ken Delp says. “Caitlin Carter has experience in high-level tournaments, so she stays calm. There’s not a better forehand around that Caitlin’s. She deserves to be bragged about.”

“Reagan is more athletic,” Ken adds. “She runs everything down and hates to lose. She’s on the Cave Spring basketball team; basketball and tennis go together.”

“Veronica was our only senior and is heading to Vanderbilt to pursue a medical degree,” Susan noted. “She was a freshman on my first team and is our most consistent and patient player.”

“Christy Goldsmith is a long-time player, very athletic and really compliments our #2 doubles. Bianca Roman is always positive and never gives up. Maha, Maddie and Jayali, despite being 7-9, all have come a long way in their improvement.

The team championship was no piece of cake. Cave Spring’s opponent was defending 3A champs Western Albemarle, the same team that the Knights defeated 5-4 in the 3A West Regional, ending Western Albemarle’s 45-match winning streak.

“I was very concerned,” Susan admitted. “Western Albemarle didn’t have their #1 player when we beat them. And, we knew they would be ready to come back at us. But, when we played before, it was at Boar’s Head in Charlottesville which was essentially their home court. This time we felt good about it being on neutral territory.”

After the six singles matches, the score was 3-3 after Fallon defeated Maddy Ix 6-4; 6-3, Carter knocked off Stephanie Barton 6-2; 6-0 and Reagan dominated Albemarle’s Hannah Kearns 6-0; 6-0. That left it to which team could garner two points among the three doubles matches.

“Even at 3-3, I felt good heading to doubles,” Fallon said. Teamed again with her sister, the Delps knocked off Ix and Barton 6-3; 6-2 to grab the fourth point. Shortly thereafter, Carter and Goldsmith polished off the match clincher with a 6-1; 6-0 win over Kearns and Savannah Diamond.

“There was a lot of pressure on our #2 doubles, but they played very well,” Ken Delp said. “Caitlin was very positive from the moment she stepped on the court. She just said to everyone, ‘We’ve got it.’ “

The win gave Cave Spring its first girls tennis state championship in school history. And, Susan Delp her first in her fourth year as the head coach after taking over the program.

“The previous coach stepped down and I was interested in the position,” Susan said. “I knew my daughters would come up into the program and I had taught in high school, so I knew how to deal with teenagers. It was a team effort, however. Our head assistant, Ken Riding, was key during practices. But, the commitment was there from everyone. In the preseason when it was cold, we’d practice at night at Hunting Hills and go from 8:30 to 10 when other students would be at home.

“Success breeds success,” Ken Delp pointed out. “I’d call it dedication.”

With everyone except Hamilton expected to return in 2016, the goals are high.

“Repeat!,” the four Delps chorused when asked about next year.

“I feel good about us doing it again,” Susan says of back-to-back championships. “It’s great knowing we have most of this team back.”

“Conference 32 is the strongest tennis in the state,” Ken Delp added. “It prepares the team for the long run.”

Expect the Knights back stronger than ever when 2016 rolls around. The feel-good of being state champions only begs for more.

Bill Turner