Williamstown's Peyton Woodburn receives a hug following her singles win which clinched a Class AA/A state title for the girls team. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With all eyes on a freshman, the Williamstown girls tennis program joined the wall of honor otherwise known as the banners in the high school gymnasium noting past state champions.

One year after falling shy of the program’s first state title by one point, the Yellowjackets found themselves in a similar position during Friday morning’s Class AA/A state duals inside the Charleston YMCA on the indoor courts.

After top-seeded Logan won two of three doubles, WHS as the No. 2 seed needed to rally with three wins out of four singles matches.

Gabi Holl and Addison Woodburn coasted for the most part in their respective matches – Holl winning the first three games at No. 1 singles against Ashton McDonald en route to an 8-4 win, while Woodburn won six of the final six of the final seven games at No. 3 singles against Addyson Amick as part of an 8-3 victory.

Logan won No. 2 singles to even the match at 3-3 with the No. 4 singles final match still in progress. Freshman Peyton Woodburn fell behind 4-3 Shelby Mullins but maintained her composure throughout and reeled off the final five games for the 8-4 win and the Yellowjackets’ first state championship.

The Williamstown girls tennis team arrives for their Class AA/A state finals match Friday in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Early discussions with head coach Diana Leo during changeovers talked about strategy. Midway into the match, the discussions steered completely away from tennis and more on school and other topics outside of the sport.

“I was just able to relax and calm my mind,” Woodburn said. “It was really good for my mental aspect of the game.”

With the general public watching from behind glass-plated windows and a good distance from the decisive match at hand, teammates and coaches from both schools gathered on the neighboring courts.

Woodburn embraced the attention.

“It was awesome,” Woodburn added. “I felt so much energy and so much love from my teammates. I really enjoyed that. It was a really cool experience.”

Williamstown's Gabi Holl, left, and doubles partner Ashtyn McIntyre discuss strategy during Friday's Class AA/A state tournament in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Holl and McIntyre – the two lone seniors on the roster – kept Williamstown relevant by winning No. 1 doubles 8-3. The final team match with her best friend was bittersweet for Holl.

“Last year was really tough losing in the finals,” Holl said. “Today, I just wanted to go out there – I think the whole team wanted to go out there and show that we are champions and we have the ability in us. We all went out there and played some amazing tennis.

“In my singles match I was really just trying to play my game. I like to hit those angles, move my player and make her run. I stayed very aggressive from the beginning. I knew she was a really good player and I would have to work. Her service was absolutely amazing.”

Holl, who plans to attend Columbia University and major in English and political science, made her way to watch the No. 4 singles match play out and joined the team hug after match point.

“My freshman year, I would have been a head case,” Holl said. “Peyton was so calm and collected out there and really played her game. She stayed very mature. But her and Addison have been like that the entire season.”

The Williamstown girls tennis team won the school's first state title in that sport Friday in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Whether Williamstown can successfully defend its title next season, coach Leo will have the varsity experience returning with the Woodburn twins along with the No. 3 doubles team of Hailey Barnes and Lauren Deem.

Coach Leo also touched on the fact her girls upgraded their game by working drills alongside a Yellowjacket boys team which finished runner-up in the team duals.

“At the beginning of the season, we just had to make sure we worked on the mental aspect,” Leo said. “It was a matter of keeping them calm and keeping them in a good space.

“At states, there are so many good teams. Logan was a very good team and fundamentally sound. But we just plugged through, plus there was the composure of Peyton on that final match with everybody watching.”

Following the girls team competition, the Charleston Catholic boys were playing at a high level this season and defeated Williamstown 4-0. Despite the discrepancy in the outcome, WHS’ No. 1 player Brady Woodard still had a smile on his face.

Williamstown's Ashtyn McIntyre returns a shot at the net during the team finals of the Class AA/A state tournament Friday in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“Even though we lost, it was a really good match to play,” Woodard said. “It was a good experience just to play good players.

“Our team played well throughout the state tournament, so it was great to see my teammates play well and just have fun doing the tournament.”

Sometime Saturday in the community of Williamstown, the fire truck will be sounding its siren. As tradition goes with every state champion at the high school, members of the Yellowjacket girls tennis team will be on board for the first time.

“Been on the truck for volleyball but not for tennis, so that’s been very exciting,” Holl said. “When you are on the truck, it is so fun and puts it into perspective that this really happened. We just won a state title.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com