Eastview is runner-up in Section 6AA team tennis

Individual tournaments continue this week

No local teams advanced to the state high school girls tennis tournament, but that doesn’t mean everybody’s season is over.

Individual section tournaments are being held this week and next, giving players a second chance at state. Among the players bidding for spots in the state tournament are Eagan junior Cassandra Li, seeded first in the Section 3AA individual tourney, and Lakeville North senior Kiera Kelly.

Li and Kelly were state runners-up in 2023, Li in singles and Kelly in doubles with Addie Bowlby, who has since graduated and is playing hockey at Sacred Heart University. Kelly played at state in singles in 2022.

On Tuesday, Eastview reached the Section 6AA team championship before losing to Edina in the championship match. The Lightning’s top two singles players, Melat Tabara and Natalie Brown, have advanced to the singles quarterfinals in the Section 6AA individual tourney, which resumed Wednesday at the University of Minnesota.

In the Section 6AA doubles tourney, the Eastview team of Sai Gajjala and Norah Brusco and the Burnsville team of Sidney Handrahan and Izzi Vohnoutka reached the quarterfinals.

Defending state Class AA champion Rochester Mayo was heavily favored to win the Section 1AA team championship, and did so Tuesday. The Spartans defeated Owatonna in the semifinals and Rochester Century in the finals without dropping a set against either opponent.

Century defeated Lakeville South 4-3 in the Section 1AA semifinals Tuesday. Century won three of the four singles matches, plus No. 3 doubles.

Winning for Lakeville South were Ellie Chamberlin at No. 2 singles, Eva Welsch and Madison Morse at No. 1 doubles and Haley Benson and Jenna Carlson at No. 2 doubles. The teams played a close match at third doubles, with Rochester Century winning 6-3, 7-5.

Lakeville South reached the Section 1AA semifinals with a 5-2 victory over Lakeville North in the quarterfinals Oct. 3. Lakeville South won all three doubles matches, along with second and third singles. Lakeville North’s points came at first and fourth singles.

In Section 3AA, East Ridge defeated Visitation 4-3 in the team championship match Tuesday. Eagan reached the semifinals before losing to Visitation 4-3 on Oct. 4.

Li and Brynn Gleason won for Eagan at first and fourth singles in the Visitation match. All three doubles matches lasted three sets, with Visitation prevailing in two of them. Aigneas Gowland and Annie Dahlheimer of Eagan won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at second doubles.

The state Class AA team tournament is Oct. 22-23 at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center, with the individual tournament following Oct. 24-25.

Mike Shaughnessy can be reached at mike.shaughnessy@apgecm.com.