Washington tennis started off its postseason in dominant fashion Wednesday afternoon. The Pam Pack hosted Bunn in the first round of the dual team playoffs. The boys disposed of the Wildcats, 9-0, to move on to the next round.

Holt and Ben McKeithan both won their singles matches with a pair of 6-0 set wins. Zack Pagnani, Mac Skillen, Eric Crozier and Dylan Singleton all picked up singles wins, too. The strong showing was even more impressive considering the lack of opportunities to practice ahead of time.

“I saw a lot of good things yesterday. Singles went really well,” coach Miranda Whitley said. “It was pretty quick and I think everybody just played well, despite not practicing much lately because of the rain. There were some good shots made yesterday during singles.”

The Pam Pack finished off the match with a sweep in doubles action. The McKeithan brothers and the tandem of Crozier and Singleton both found themselves down at one point in their respective matches. They showed a great degree of mental toughness to bounce back and win.

It was a nice sight for Whitley to see. That resilience is something that’s difficult to teach. A significant amount of it simply comes from experience on the court.

“I can tell them 100 times to be confident and things like that, but it really comes down to them individually,” she said. “They have to make the difference in the match.”

Pagnani and Skillen won their doubles match handedly. The wins gave them and the McKeithans momentum heading into Friday’s regional matches. Each team had to win a pair of matches to earn the right to contend for the state championship.

The Pam Pack travels to the North Carolina School of Science & Math for a second-round match in the dual team playoffs. NCSSM topped defending state champion Carrboro, 5-2, to remain undefeated and punch its ticket for the second round. NCSSM vs. Carrboro was last year’s regional championship match. The Pam Pack fell to NCSSM in the third round last year and will be hoping to avenge that loss this time around.

The boys will have their hands full with a tough second-round draw. They’ll have to play with the same spirit and mental toughness they did in their first-round win. Washington’s strength this season has been doubles matches, but Skillen, Crozier and Singleton — and the team as a whole — should be confident in singles action after Wednesday’s win.