HENDERSONVILLE — The Mount Airy boys tennis team advanced to the state team finals and avenged ghosts of the past two seasons by defeating Hendersonville, 5-4, Tuesday in NCHSAA playoff action.

With the victory, the Granite Bears advance to Saturday’s team state championship tournament in Burlington. Times and opponents have yet to be determined.

The match came down to doubles duo Alex Ilyasov and Nathan Hager defeating Tamir Shemesh and Will Huntley by a score of 11-9. The match went back and forth from beginning to end. The score was tied at 3-all after singles and each team won a doubles match before Ilyasov and Hagar’s set was through.

While most of the season has featured strong performances by state champion doubles team Nick John and Brooks Mayberry, and Matt Kessler, who made a run to the conference singles title, it was Ilyasov and Hager — both seniors — who grabbed arguably the biggest win of the season for the Granite Bears (15-2).

“Those guys have played a lot of tennis for Mount Airy,” coach Frank Mayberry said, “so they are used to playing important matches. They relied on their experience and they pulled through.”

In singles, Eric Belton came up with a crucial win with his come-from-behind victory.

The win gave Mount Airy some much-needed revenge against Hendersonville, which has ended the Granite Bears’ season in each of the past two years.

Mount Airy 5,

Hendersonville 4

Singles

Nick John (MA) d. Evan Kirkland, 6-1, 6-0

Scott Davis (H) d. Brooks Mayberry, 6-3, 1-6, 12-10

Brackin Kirkland (H) d. Chance Hall, 6-0, 6-0

Tamir Shemesh (H) d. Matt Kessler, 6-3, 6-3

Eric Belton (MA) d. Charles Calhoun, 6-7 (7-5), 7-5, 10-6

Alex Ilyasov (MA) d. Will Huntley, 6-1, 6-3

Doubles

John/Mayberry (MA) d E. Kirkland/Davis, 10-4

B. Kirkland/Calhoun (H) d. Kessler/Belton , 10-6

Ilyasov/Nathan Hager (MA) d. Shemesh/Huntley, 11-9