Photo by Laura Steryous
Lord Botetourt’s Ethan Steryous, who recently completed his sophomore season, is the Virginia High School League State Class 3 Runner-up in the tennis singles tournament. Ethan made it to Saturday’s championship match at Liberty University before falling to Gage Sturman of Western Albemarle in the final.
After winning the Region 3D championship Ethan represented the region in the state championship final four. He drew Neel Dharni of Tabb High School, the Region 3A champion, in the state semifinal last Friday and won in two sets, 6-1, 6-3.
“Ethan came out playing exceptionally well, showcasing a diverse and effective game plan throughout the match,” said Lord Botetourt coach Tim Howard. “He mixed in aggressive net play, rallied confidently off the backhand side and did an excellent job changing direction with his forehand to keep Neel off balance. Ethan also found success with heavy topspin serves to Neel’s backhand, an area that proved difficult for Neel to handle early in the match.”
In the other semifinal, Sturman, the Region 3C champ, defeated Region 3B champ Thomas Lapp of Meridian High, 6-3, 6-1. That set up a state championship match between Steryous and Sturman, a junior. Sturman won a close first set, 6-4, then won the match with a 6-0 win in the second set on a very hot day in Lynchburg.
“It was an incredible display of firepower from both players, each bringing their own brand of aggressive tennis, but Gage proved just a little too good at dictating play with his forehand,” said coach Howard. “It was great to see Ethan competing for a state title and representing Southwest Virginia at such a high level. Looking at the four state semifinalists, one came from the Charlottesville area, one from Yorktown, one from Northern Virginia, and Ethan stood as the representative from Southwest Virginia.
“Adding to the moment, on the adjacent court Cave Spring’s Roshini Sriram was competing in the girls’ state championship match against Gage’s sister, Blythe Sturman, making it a memorable day for Southwest Virginia tennis.”
Steryous played an outstanding all-court match in the final. He utilized a heavy topspin serve and mixed in low, biting slice backhands that gave Sturman problems throughout portions of the match. He also matched Gage very well off the backhand side and held his own in the backhand-to-backhand exchanges. Just as importantly, Ethan did an excellent job preventing Gage from using one of his favorite weapons— the drop shot.
“Those opportunities typically arise when an opponent fails to hit through the court, allowing the attacking player to step inside the baseline and finesse the ball more easily,” said Howard. “Ethan’s shots consistently carried enough pace and depth to largely neutralize that tactic. The backhand exchanges were highly competitive, and the net play was essentially even. In the end, the match largely came down to a single stroke: Gage’s forehand.”
Sturman and his partner, William Schundler, won the state doubles title later in the day. They defeated the Abingdon doubles pair in the championship match, 6-0, 6-3. Abingdon had eliminated the Lord Botetourt doubles team of Steryous and Davis Kidd in the Region 3D semifinals in a very close match, with the Falcons’ team winning a 10-8 tie-breaker after splitting the first two sets. Abingdon then won the region by edging Hidden Valley, also in a tie-breaker.
Botetourt finished the season with a 10-3 record in doubles. Steryous was undefeated in singles prior to the championship match and finished the season with a 17-1 record. In addition to Howard, Ethan is also coached by Derek Myers of the Roanoke Country Club.
“While the result was not the one Ethan wanted, he finishes the season as the Class 3 State Runner-up and the second best Class 3 boys singles player in Virginia,” said Howard. “That is an accomplishment he should be extremely proud of and one that reflects years of hard work, dedication, and competitive success.”
