For the second time in school history, the Brandon girls? varsity tennis team has qualified for the Michigan High School Athletic Association state finals June 4-5 in East Lansing.
The top two teams in each regional qualify along with any team scoring 18 points or more. A team gets one point for each match won during the tournament. Holly won the title with 25 points and Flushing finished second with 24. Fenton also joined Brandon with 18 points to mark the second time in three years all four teams qualified together. Last year, Brandon missed qualifying by one point.
‘It’s quite an accomplishment for the girls,? said Brandon Co-coach Brian Moore. ‘It is particularly satisfying because many of these same players came so close last year. They have worked hard to become good tennis players, and all 15 contributed to our success.?
The clinching match of the day came at #4 doubles for Brandon, as Claudia Wenta and Jessie Begley remained undefeated on the season with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Fenton in the final to secure the 18th point of the day. Wenta and Begley have not lost a set all season, and Moore felt it was fitting that they should score the final point.
‘They have been winning easily all year,? Moore said. ‘So it was nice to see them fight through a close match for the win.?
At #1 doubles, Katelyn Gunnels and Kristin Wilson lost in a third set tiebreaker to the top-seeded team from Holly, after having been swept twice by the same team earlier in the year. At #3 doubles, Dani Richards and Linsey Hansen lost another third set tiebreaker to Flushing in the finals.
‘It’s nice to see our kids play tight matches against top-level competition,? Moore said.
‘We can know go head-to-head with these good teams and not be surprised when we win.?
Also playing well all season for Brandon at singles have been Alexis Dickie, Heidi Fluck, Alex Cook, Brenna Egan, and Claire Pincumbe. The other doubles pairings are Jaclyn Graveldinger and Becca Chewning, along with Chloe Grounds and Katie Perry.
The Blackhawks have won three Brandon Invitational tournaments this year and have the highest match winning percentage in team history this year Moore said.
In addition Moore added that with some match wins at the state meet, this will likely go down as the most successful season for the girls? team, and coupled with the boys? trip to the state finals in the fall, the most successful overall season in school history.