MARQUETTE — The matches are starting to resemble the epic encounters of a few years back when Marquette and Negaunee battled for supremacy as the best high school girls tennis team in the Upper Peninsula.

In their second meeting in four days, the Miners prevailed 5-3 at the MSHS courts on Thursday.

This meet included a pair of three-set matches, with each team claiming one victory.

Three days earlier, Negaunee won 6-2 despite the closeness of each flight in that meet.

“Another great battle with a very good Negaunee team,” Marquette head coach Karl Thomsen said about the 9-0 Miners. “I give all of the players a ton of credit because it was both teams’ fourth straight day of match play, and even worse, it was extremely hot.”

NHS head coach Kyle Saari concurred.

“We’ve had two matches with Marquette in four days that we both benefitted from,” Saari said. “There were several close matches again, and our doubles did a great job of carrying the load today.”

Negaunee No. 4 singles player Lilliana Saunders may have been the key to her team winning the meet, as she was the only player to break the mold of Negaunee winning all the doubles flights and Marquette all the singles.

“Lilliana is making better contact with the ball every match she plays and has really developed into a perfect (No.) 4 singles player for us,” Saari said.

Thomsen pointed to No. 3 singles, though, as the meet’s best match after the Redettes’ Cecelia Jacuzzo defeated the Miners’ Rheana Nelson in one of the three-setters, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

“The match of the day took place at No. 3 singles,” the Marquette coach said. “Rheana Nelson and Cecelia Jacuzzo played another marathon three-setter.

“We figured between Monday’s match and (Thursday’s), the two girls have played about six hours of tennis.

“In the end, I was super pumped for Cecelia. She had the roller coaster of emotions going, was able to settle in and toughed out a win against a quality opponent.”

Thomsen was also pleased with his No. 2 singles player Annabella Martinson flying past Aubrey Johnson, 6-4, 6-0.

“Annabella Martinson had a terrific day hitting the ball clean at No. 2 singles,” he said. “I believe it started (Wednesday) when near the end of her match, she started hitting a good number of clean winners.

“(On Thursday) the focus for Annabella was there from the start of the match and she picked up right where she left off (Wednesday).”

Marquette also got a win from No. 1 singles player Kaia Miller, while Negaunee won a three-setter at doubles when Autumn Ring and Ava Gustitus fended off Delana Sprowl and Lyndsey Luke, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Other Miners’ doubles winners were Stella Harris and Maddie Frustaglio at No. 1, Olivia Lunseth and Sage Juntti at No. 2 and Kallen Schultz and Madalynn Peters at No. 3.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.