The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Hornets down state champs 5-3
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 1, 2008
Entering the Saline-Ann Arbor Huron girls' tennis dual meet April 23, it had been so long since the Hornets had defeated the River Rats that head coach Andy BeDell said afterward that "nobody remembers" exactly when was the last time - and it might have never happened.
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That's not an issue now, after the Hornets surprised the defending state champions with a 5-3 victory.
"This could be a defining contest for our team," BeDell said. "We have a lot of work left to do this season, but we've shown that we're there. It's not a surprise any more."
The two teams were tied at three after the first six completed flights. But, after splitting the first two sets 2-6, 6-4, Saline's Casey Baxter rolled to a 6-1 win in the third set of her third singles match for a 4-3 Hornet lead.
Whether the Hornets would earn the win or have to settle for the tie then came down to the first doubles match, where Saline's Sarah Cowen and Megan Geiger (who were unaware of the score) lost their first set 3-6, but won the second 6-3.
Cowen and Geiger served for the match -- and the meet -- in the third set at 5-4, but Huron broke serve to tie. Cowen and Geiger then broke back to go up 6-5 and at one point held match point, but the Rats survived to force a tiebreaker.
"It was back and forth the whole time," BeDell said. "You didn't feel like either side had the momentum going into the tiebreak."
But that didn't last long as Cowen and Geiger won the first points and pulled away for a 7-2 win, taking the set 7-6, the match, the meet, and setting off what BeDell called a scene of "jubilation" on the court.
The drama was set up by wins throughout the Hornet lineup. No. 2 singles player Bethany French won in straight sets over her opponent, 6-1, 6-2. At No. 4 singles, Kelli Tice swept to a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Fourth doubles team Dayani Waas and Julie Blackhall rolled to a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win.
Even when they weren't winning matches, Saline was winning sets. Saline No. 1 singles player Niki Shipman won her first but eventually fell in three, 6-4, 1-6, 2-6.
The second doubles team of Sarah Sidlow and Kate Woolliscroft won a tense second set 7-5, but had lost the first 2-6 and lost a close third set 4-6.
Third doubles team Shanna Cooper and Meranda Vogt fell 0-6, 1-6.
The win over the Rats is just one more signal, BeDell said, that Saline will be ready to challenge the Ann Arbor powers at and Regional meet later this year.
"This will give us a lot of confidence going into Regionals," he said. "They're the defending state champs. I think we've shown we're for real."
Midland-Dow Invitational
The day after defeating the Rats, Saline traveled for a quad meet at state-ranked Midland-Dow and tied for second with 14 points.
At first singles, Shipman bageled both her opponents from Dow and Holly 6-0, 6-0. French won 6-2, 6-0 over Holly and 6-4, 7-6 over Traverse City Central at No. 2 singles. At third singles Baxter won 6-0, 6-0 over Holly and 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 over Traverse and Tice gave Saline eight points in singles flights by bouncing her opponents from the same schools, 7-5, 6-2 over Traverse and 6-1, 6-0 over Holly.
Saline won six doubles matches, with No. 1 team Cowen and Geiger winning 7-6 (5), 6-1 over Dow and 6-3 ,6-0 over Holly; Sidlow and Wooliscroft winning 6-3, 6-1 over Holly at No. 2 doubles; No. 3 team Cooper and Vogt winning 6-2, 6-2 over Holly; and fourth doubles team Waas and Blackhall beating both Dow 6-4, 6-3 and Holly 7-5, 6-4.
Pioneer Invitational
With Shipman absent through illness and the Hornets facing the toughest tournament field in the state this season on limited rest, Saline nonetheless took fifth in Saturday's Pioneer invite.
French, Baxter, and Tice all won a match against Northville in singles play, French by a 6-0, 6-1 score, Baxter 6-4, 6-2, and Tice 6-3, 6-1.
In doubles play, Cowen and Geiger defeated Clarskton's No. 1 team 6-2, 6-4 before beating Holly 6-0, 6-2. Sidlow and Wooliscroft won 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 over Novi, Vogt and Cooper defeated Clarkston 6-1, 7-5 and Holly 6-0, 6-1, and Waas and Blackhall won 6-2, 6-2 over Holly.
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