- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,640
- Reaction score
- 59
During the 2026 season, Clay head coach Bobby Blanton said that the goal of Clay doubles players Jason Wang and Taylor Culbertson was to go undefeated in the regular season.
Wang and Culbertson may have just missed putting together a perfect regular season.
But they didn’t leave anything to chance during the two-day Southern Ohio Conference Tennis Tournament that was held at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Running it up throughout the bracket, Wang and Culbertson failed to drop even a single one of their six contested sets throughout the SOC Doubles Championship en route to winning the 2026 title.
“It feels great,” Wang said. “We really didn’t think we’d beat a larger school like Wheelersburg coming in. Last season, we barely beat New Boston by the skin of our teeth, and this year, we were able to beat Wheelersburg, of all schools. We have a ton of respect for them and all of the schools in our conference.”
“They were one of our toughest opponents last year and this year,” Culbertson said. “This year, we worked and grinded. That paid off for us.”
By virtue of winning, Culbertson and Wang won the rubber match against Schomburg and Billiter in the SOC Championship-decider. Schomburg and Billiter took a 6-2, 7-5 (10-8 TB) decision on April 16, while Culbertson and Wang avenged that defeat on May 1 at Wheelersburg. The two teams split their regular season meetings with the road team winning at the host site on both occasions.
“They beat us in a good match,” Culbertson said. “Like I’ve said, nothing good’s ever perfect. There’s always going to be a mistake or a learn in there, whether the record indicates that or not.”
Six days after its win against the Pirates in the second match, the duo held serve by taking home a straight set triumph as the No. 1 doubles units from both schools again entertained in a back-and-forth.
“We practiced all throughout the summer, fall and spring, in addition to a little in the winter,” Wang said. “It’s been 24/7, basically. We just love playing the sport,” Wang said. “Tennis is fun for us.”
“I took lessons and all types of stuff,” Culbertson said. “We wanted to come in this year and win it. We wanted it bad this year. We just tried to put in as much work as we could into it. We just do it for fun and to have a good time. We just focus on that and know if we’re doing that and working hard, the results will come.”
Prior to reaching the championship match, Culbertson and Wang, the No. 1 seed in doubles, got an opening round bye. They defeated Waverly’s Emmitt Price and Kale Osborne (6-0, 6-0) in the quarterfinals and West’s Max Bell and Michael Grobowski (6-3, 6-2) to reach the SOC Championship Match.
On the bottom side of the bracket, Schomburg and Billiter ran it up themselves as the No. 2 seed in the tournament. They defeated West’s Humble Moore and Evan Stiles (6-2, 6-1) to reach the semifinals, then outlasted a strong contest from Minford’s Tate Johnson and Gabe Turner to reach the championship themselves.
By virtue of reaching the SOC Doubles Championship, Culbertson and Wang, along with Schomburg and Billiter, were all named All-SOC honorees.
Waverly, who was the SOC Champion from a team perspective, saw its top singles player, Carson Nibert, claim the SOC Singles Championship. Nibert, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, lost just two games in reaching the final. He did not drop any of the eight sets that were contested in his matches.
Wheelersburg’s Kody Evans proved to be a stout competitor in meeting Nibert in the championship match.
The No. 3 seed in the tournament, Evans, who was Wheelersburg’s wire-to-wire No. 1 singles player, defeated Waverly’s No. 3 singles talent, Carter Carroll (6-1, 6-0) in the Round of 16.
Evans then defeated New Boston Glenwood’s Tray Steele (6-3, 6-0) in the quarterfinals, and, in a dandy matchup against Waverly’s No. 2 singles player — and No. 2 seed in Nate Lehew — overcame a 0-6 loss in the opening set by winning 7-5, 6-0 in the second and third sets to reach the SOC Singles Championship.
Evans took three games from Nibert in the second set before falling in the title match.
Wheelersburg’s Luke Sarver, a No. 20 seed coming in the tournament, ripped off three wins to reach the quarterfinals, including wins against well-known No. 1s in Clay’s Caroline Ridenour and New Boston Glenwood’s Riley Adkins in doing so. Sarver bested Ridenour (6-3, 6-1) and Adkins (6-4, 6-3) to reach the semis. Sarver also beat Minford’s Michael Chidsey (6-0, 6-1) in a play-in match.
In doing so, Sarver joined Nibert, Evans and Lehew as the All-SOC honorees in singles competition.
Along with the above efforts, Johnson and Turner, along with Bell and Grobowski, each won two doubles matches apiece.
Johnson and Turner, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, bested Clay’s Sophia Craft and Isaiah George (6-3, 4-6, 10-6) and Waverly’s Jasper Price and Brennan Duncan (2-6, 6-4, 10-6) to reach the conference semis in doubles, while the upset-minded Bell and Grobowski defeated Minford’s Zeb Wiehle and Bryson Conley (6-7, 6-0, 10-6) and Wheelersburg’s Alex Richey and Isaac Mott (6-0, 6-3) as pair of their own run to the conference semifinals as a No. 13 seed.
Clay and New Boston Glenwood each had two singles players advance to the conference quarterfinals in singles by virtue of winning in the Round of 16. The Tigers’ Tray Steele defeated Chloe Bryant of West by a 6-1, 6-0 margin while Clay’s Ford Swords defeated Minford’s Claire Clevenger by a 6-2, 6-2 margin at the bottom of the bracket.
At the top of the bracket, New Boston Glenwood’s Riley Adkins defeated West’s Eli Blevins (6-2, 6-0) to reach the quarters, while Clay’s Billy Miller defeated Valley’s Luke Fleeman (6-2, 6-0) to do the same.
All teams will turn their attention to the 2026 OHSAA Southeast Division II Sectional Championship Tournament on Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12, which will be held at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth.
Continue reading...
Wang and Culbertson may have just missed putting together a perfect regular season.
But they didn’t leave anything to chance during the two-day Southern Ohio Conference Tennis Tournament that was held at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Running it up throughout the bracket, Wang and Culbertson failed to drop even a single one of their six contested sets throughout the SOC Doubles Championship en route to winning the 2026 title.
“It feels great,” Wang said. “We really didn’t think we’d beat a larger school like Wheelersburg coming in. Last season, we barely beat New Boston by the skin of our teeth, and this year, we were able to beat Wheelersburg, of all schools. We have a ton of respect for them and all of the schools in our conference.”
“They were one of our toughest opponents last year and this year,” Culbertson said. “This year, we worked and grinded. That paid off for us.”
By virtue of winning, Culbertson and Wang won the rubber match against Schomburg and Billiter in the SOC Championship-decider. Schomburg and Billiter took a 6-2, 7-5 (10-8 TB) decision on April 16, while Culbertson and Wang avenged that defeat on May 1 at Wheelersburg. The two teams split their regular season meetings with the road team winning at the host site on both occasions.
“They beat us in a good match,” Culbertson said. “Like I’ve said, nothing good’s ever perfect. There’s always going to be a mistake or a learn in there, whether the record indicates that or not.”
Six days after its win against the Pirates in the second match, the duo held serve by taking home a straight set triumph as the No. 1 doubles units from both schools again entertained in a back-and-forth.
“We practiced all throughout the summer, fall and spring, in addition to a little in the winter,” Wang said. “It’s been 24/7, basically. We just love playing the sport,” Wang said. “Tennis is fun for us.”
“I took lessons and all types of stuff,” Culbertson said. “We wanted to come in this year and win it. We wanted it bad this year. We just tried to put in as much work as we could into it. We just do it for fun and to have a good time. We just focus on that and know if we’re doing that and working hard, the results will come.”
Prior to reaching the championship match, Culbertson and Wang, the No. 1 seed in doubles, got an opening round bye. They defeated Waverly’s Emmitt Price and Kale Osborne (6-0, 6-0) in the quarterfinals and West’s Max Bell and Michael Grobowski (6-3, 6-2) to reach the SOC Championship Match.
On the bottom side of the bracket, Schomburg and Billiter ran it up themselves as the No. 2 seed in the tournament. They defeated West’s Humble Moore and Evan Stiles (6-2, 6-1) to reach the semifinals, then outlasted a strong contest from Minford’s Tate Johnson and Gabe Turner to reach the championship themselves.
By virtue of reaching the SOC Doubles Championship, Culbertson and Wang, along with Schomburg and Billiter, were all named All-SOC honorees.
Waverly, who was the SOC Champion from a team perspective, saw its top singles player, Carson Nibert, claim the SOC Singles Championship. Nibert, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, lost just two games in reaching the final. He did not drop any of the eight sets that were contested in his matches.
Wheelersburg’s Kody Evans proved to be a stout competitor in meeting Nibert in the championship match.
The No. 3 seed in the tournament, Evans, who was Wheelersburg’s wire-to-wire No. 1 singles player, defeated Waverly’s No. 3 singles talent, Carter Carroll (6-1, 6-0) in the Round of 16.
Evans then defeated New Boston Glenwood’s Tray Steele (6-3, 6-0) in the quarterfinals, and, in a dandy matchup against Waverly’s No. 2 singles player — and No. 2 seed in Nate Lehew — overcame a 0-6 loss in the opening set by winning 7-5, 6-0 in the second and third sets to reach the SOC Singles Championship.
Evans took three games from Nibert in the second set before falling in the title match.
Wheelersburg’s Luke Sarver, a No. 20 seed coming in the tournament, ripped off three wins to reach the quarterfinals, including wins against well-known No. 1s in Clay’s Caroline Ridenour and New Boston Glenwood’s Riley Adkins in doing so. Sarver bested Ridenour (6-3, 6-1) and Adkins (6-4, 6-3) to reach the semis. Sarver also beat Minford’s Michael Chidsey (6-0, 6-1) in a play-in match.
In doing so, Sarver joined Nibert, Evans and Lehew as the All-SOC honorees in singles competition.
Along with the above efforts, Johnson and Turner, along with Bell and Grobowski, each won two doubles matches apiece.
Johnson and Turner, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, bested Clay’s Sophia Craft and Isaiah George (6-3, 4-6, 10-6) and Waverly’s Jasper Price and Brennan Duncan (2-6, 6-4, 10-6) to reach the conference semis in doubles, while the upset-minded Bell and Grobowski defeated Minford’s Zeb Wiehle and Bryson Conley (6-7, 6-0, 10-6) and Wheelersburg’s Alex Richey and Isaac Mott (6-0, 6-3) as pair of their own run to the conference semifinals as a No. 13 seed.
Clay and New Boston Glenwood each had two singles players advance to the conference quarterfinals in singles by virtue of winning in the Round of 16. The Tigers’ Tray Steele defeated Chloe Bryant of West by a 6-1, 6-0 margin while Clay’s Ford Swords defeated Minford’s Claire Clevenger by a 6-2, 6-2 margin at the bottom of the bracket.
At the top of the bracket, New Boston Glenwood’s Riley Adkins defeated West’s Eli Blevins (6-2, 6-0) to reach the quarters, while Clay’s Billy Miller defeated Valley’s Luke Fleeman (6-2, 6-0) to do the same.
All teams will turn their attention to the 2026 OHSAA Southeast Division II Sectional Championship Tournament on Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12, which will be held at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth.
Continue reading...
