COLUMBIA, Md. -- Williamsport became the first Washington County Public School to win an MPSSAA state tennis team championship on Saturday at Wilde Lake Tennis Club.
Wildcats senior Lauren Toms capped an undefeated season by capturing the first girls singles state title in county history, leading Williamsport to Class 1A team honors. The Wildcats scored 15 points to edge runner-up South Carroll by one point.
"It's a big accomplishment," said Williamsport coach Kate Paylor. "I knew we had a chance, and then when all of our kids advanced to the semifinals, I knew we'd get some points. … It's exciting and something to be proud of, not just for Williamsport in general, but as a county."
Toms, who was the 1A girls singles runner-up in 2022 and finished third last year, took the crown in her final year as the top seed. On Friday, she beat Middletown's Sharon Martin 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Fort Hill's Jovie Breitfeller 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. On Saturday, she led Friendly's Laylah Webb 3-0 in the first set when Webb had to resign with an injury.
"It was very emotional experience. Being there three times, I really wanted it really bad, so when I won, at first I was more shocked and a little overwhelmed," Toms said. "I'm very, very proud, honestly. … It means a lot, especially since I didn't pursue tennis -- I ended up pursuing soccer at a young age. It feels good that when I came back and played tennis in high school, I was able to leave my mark and accomplish something like this."
Toms finished 22-0 this season and went 46-1 over her final two years. She will play soccer at the Naval Academy starting in the fall.
"It was a relieving feeling for her," said Paylor. "My main focus today was for her to come out with that singles championship under her belt. The fact she got it is a huge accomplishment for her, and she's so happy. Having the team win was even more of a good feeling for her, since she had some teammates there with her."
"States was very lonely the last two years, seeing a bunch of teams there the previous two years and my only having a coach there," Toms admitted. "I feed off the encouragement of my teammates, and I think that's what set our team apart from everybody this weekend and is why we won."
Boonsboro junior Hunter Liao became the third player ever to win three MPSSAA boys singles state titles when he cruised to his third straight Class 1A championship. On Friday, Liao defeated St. Michael's Tom Weller 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Harford Tech's Brandon Nguyen 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. In Saturday's title match, he beat Liberty's Nikhil Andhavarapu, 6-1, 6-0.
Liao finished 14-0 in singles matches this year and is 51-0 in his high school career -- without dropping a set.
"He's fun to watch," said Warriors coach Titus Muniz. "A big thing is I've had several parents and coaches compliment him on how he carries himself. The way he treats his opponents with respect -- and he has dominated in high school -- but he doesn't showboat or anything like that, and that shows his character, too. It not just his tennis talent, but also his humbleness and how he showcases the best parts of the game of tennis."
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Williamsport's mixed doubles team of Elizabeth Warren and Aiden Nigh finished second in 1A, while the Wildcats' boys doubles team of Mason Bauer and Luke Miller placed third.
"We knew we had never taken so many players to the state tournament, and then when we saw how they were competing, we knew we had a shot to win as a team and not just as individual players," Paylor said. "We realized there was more happening here than just the individual matches. I was not expecting (a state team title) at the beginning of the season and I'm very proud of my team for that."
Warren and Nigh beat St. Michael's Tess Weller and Sean Kline 6-3, 6-2 in the 1A mixed doubles quarterfinals and Fallston's Meghan Perez and Jesse Killan 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals Friday. On Saturday, they fell to South Carroll's Sydney Mossman and Michael Mooney in a closely-contested final, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Bauer and Miller defeated Washington's Clinton Lankford and Jemes Jimenez 6-1, 6-3 in the 1A boys doubles quarterfinals before losing to Liberty's Arjun Mistry and Hayden Speace 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals Friday. In Saturday's third-place match, Bauer and Miller beat Southern Garrett's Ben Nazelrod and Shane Sisler, 6-1, 6-4.
South Hagerstown's Atlee Hilliard was the runner-up in Class 3A girls singles. On Friday, Hilliard defeated Dulaney's Campbell Andrulot 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and Poly's Maria Chen 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals. In Saturday's final, she fell to Reservoir's Kiersten Tambe, 6-1, 6-3. Hilliard finished the season with a 14-4 singles record.
Boonsboro's girls doubles team of Larissa Blair and Saumya Padha placed third in 1A. On Friday, they defeated North Dorchester's Maddie Tobat and Jules Tobat 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 in the quarterfinals before falling to South Carroll's Caroline Aliftiras and Audrey Lillycrop 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals. In the third-place match Saturday, they beat Allegany's Maya Hare and Danica Knight, 6-3, 6-0.
Blair teamed with then-senior Cami Row to win the state girls doubles title last year.
"They did really good," Muniz said. "Larissa coming back with a new partner and getting back to states was impressive. Saumya played singles up until a couple weeks before tournament season, but she felt the best way to have success in the postseason was to play doubles. They formed a good partnership and it was fun to watch."
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