Negaunee Miners now 7-0 with pair of girls tennis wins, Marquette falls at Escanaba
NEGAUNEE — Negaunee ran its record to 7-0 in dual meets this season with 8-0 wins over Kingsford and Ishpeming in high school girls tennis meets held earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Marquette lost a 7-1 decision to Escanaba.
Five of the six area teams are back on the courts today, with Munising at Westwood, Menominee at Marquette, Gladstone at Gwinn and Iron Mountain at Negaunee.
All six are back on the courts Monday — Westwood plays at both Escanaba and Gladstone, Marquette is at Negaunee, Gwinn is at Ishpeming, and Munising is also set to play at Escanaba.
Here is information from the meets earlier this week:
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Negaunee 8, Kingsford 0
On Tuesday at Negaunee, the Miners won every match in two sets, but some matches were more hotly contested than others.
“These next two weeks of dual meets are crucial for us to keep trending in the right direction,” Negaunee head coach Kyle Saari said in an email detailing the result. “(Tuesday) was a good start in doing so.”
While No. 1 singles player Aubrey Nelson was severely tested early in a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory over the Flivvers’ Aubrie Moore, in the other seven flights the Miners lost a total of just 18 games.
“Aubrey is a great example of someone who can be successful in a number of ways,” Saari said. “She can adjust to whatever style is across the net from her, and it’s a testament to the competitor she is.
“We’ve had a few No. 1 singles players in the past with a ton of grit, from Allison Carlson a long time ago to Abby and Lilly Nelson. Aubrey is no different than all of them in terms of how much they’re willing to sacrifice to be successful.
“She’s a great example for any young athlete to look up to.”
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Negaunee 8, Ishpeming 0
On Wednesday at Negaunee, the Miners had little trouble racking up another dual-meet victory, losing just seven games total across the eight flights.
That included wins by a trio of doubles flights not with their usual players — No. 2 Paityn Brunette and Nicole Kerkela, who usually are at No. 3, No. 3 Ella Standerford and Maija Raike, and No. 4 Clare O’Donnell and Paige O’Donnell.
“Paityn and Nicole hit the ball solid for us (Wednesday),” Saari said in his email about this meet. “Paityn has a knack for hitting the alley and Nicole uses her athleticism to keep many balls alive.”
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Escanaba 7, Marquette 1
On Tuesday at Escanaba, the Sentinels gave Escanaba a real battle in doubles as the Eskymos won every singles flights in straight sets, dropping just eight games over those four matches.
Marquette got its win at No. 1 doubles, where Payton Pleaugh and Lucy Stern fought for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Esky’s Sonya Maki and Anna Martin.
“(On Monday,) we had a pretty good battle against Westwood and I think it showed (on Tuesday),” MSHS head coach Karl Thomsen said in an email detailing the result. “In several of our matches, we started out slower than I would have liked and we can’t do that against a good team like Escanaba.
“On the positive side of things, our girls showed a lot of grit, fight and compete as the matches rolled along. Nowhere was that more evident than at No. 1 doubles.
“Payton Pleaugh and Lucy Stern dropped the first set, but rebounded for a quality win.
“I think there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from (Tuesday) that hopefully we will apply in the future.”
Two other doubles matches also went three sets. At No. 2, the Eskymos’ Danni Hughes and Molly Smale prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 over Marquette’s Eva Kentala and Maya Griffin, while at No. 4, EHS’ Hannah Cady and Brooke Miron held on for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win over the Sentinels’ Stella Dehlin and Kirra Longtine.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.