Nelson moves on from Districts to defend State Title
Summary: Senior super Knight, Rachel Nelson, flies through the OHSAA District Tournament for a chance to defend her State title.Want to see senior superpower Rachel Nelson play some of her best tennis? Fire her up; which is exactly what happened on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at OHSAA District play held at Ohio University in Athens.
Coming into Districts with the number one seed and an undefeated season, Nelson looked to stay focused and move onto the State Tournament. And she did just that, taking down her first opponent with little trouble in a 6-1, 6-0 fashion moving her to the State qualifying round.
"In the end I would love to get to the finals again, but I'm not going to rely on that. I have to play my way there. I want to win it all, but my priority is playing my best and letting that carry my way to the top," said Nelson.
The next match didn't seem much different as Nelson got in her groove and finished off the match in a 6-1, 6-0 win, moving her onto state play and another match against nemesis Mollie Miller, a junior for Portsmouth, Ohio.
"I'm excited to be in the State Tournament again for my last year. I'm also sad it's almost over, but I'm just going to go into the tournament with the goal of playing my best tennis," said Nelson.
Miller and Nelson have faced off in a battle for the first seed into the State Tournament for three straight years, with Nelson always coming out on top. The intense matches are enough to keep spectators on their feet and entertained, and apparently enough motivation for Nelson that day to win the top spot.
"When I get angry it motivates me to win. It's a positive kind of anger, I just have to play my best," said Nelson. The anger seemed to work for Nelson, coming out with a 6-0, 6-2 clobbering of Miller. She will go into the State Tournament as the number one seed and will be vying for a chance at the championship title once again.
"When I play against her (Miller) I have to stay focused. I ignore outside distractions and move around a lot. I move the ball a lot more and have to be consistent. If I'm consistent then it allows her to make the mistakes," said Nelson.
"I was impressed with how Rachel played against Mollie, it may have been one of the best matches I've seen her play," said West Holmes Tennis coach, Jason Otto. "Going into the State Tournament she (Nelson) will have to stay focused and play her game. Tennis is a game of ups and downs and you can't let them get the best of you. "
Nelson will play in the State Tournament on Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday Oct. 20 at the Stickney Tennis Center on the campus of the Ohio State University. Currently, Nelson has not lost a match since the 2010 State Tournament, where she claimed the Div. II singles State Runner –Up title. Her record since then is 67-0. This will be her fourth trip to the State Tournament.