Eight Toledo-area players advanced through last weekend’s district qualifying in Port Clinton to qualify for the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Division II girls state tennis tournament Friday and Saturday at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
The first two rounds in the brackets of 16 players/teams are set for Friday, with the semifinals, consolation finals, and championship finals scheduled for Saturday.
Here is a look at the singles players and doubles teams that have earned state berths in Division II:
Mari-Yona Shannon, Maumee Valley
Shannon, a sophomore, is making her second trip to state after losing her first-round match at Wooster last year.
“[The experience] was really important,” Shannon said of reaching state in 2023. “Last year gave me the [ambition] to really improve this year. That’s why I’m looking forward to it this year.
“I have been a lot more consistent and have practiced more. This makes me happy because I wanted to end this experience on a good note. I’m aiming for the semifinals. I do want to win, but I want to take it one step at a time.”
She makes this year’s journey to state as a Northwest District champion, having beaten Lima Shawnee’s Ava Patel 6-0, 6-2 in the finals last Saturday.
Shannon is set to face Perry senior Audrey Austin in Friday’s first round, and the winner earns a quarterfinal match against the winner of a first-round battle between Cincinnati Indian Hill junior Sophia Thompson and Shaker Heights Laurel sophomore Rida Tahir.
Caitlyn DeWitt, Bryan
The Golden Bears senior is making her third trip to state competition after qualifying as a third-place finisher from the Port Clinton district last Saturday.
She lost to Lima Shawnee’s Ava Patel 6-2, 7-5 in the district semifinals, then she won her consolation match against Norwalk's Ana Osborn.
DeWitt qualified for state doubles in 2022 with teammate Reese Grothaus, losing a first-round match.
She has the unenviable task of facing defending D-II singles state champion Amiya Bowles, a junior from Bexley, in the first round Friday morning.
Bryn Tangeman and Taylor Kayse, Ottawa Hills
Tangeman, a junior, and Kayse, a freshman, qualified for state by winning last Saturday’s Northwest District title, topping Maumee Valley’s Layan Ridi and Sofia Avram 6-2, 6-0 in the finals.
Tangeman also qualified for state doubles competition last year, teaming with Green Bears senior Catherine Rhegness to place fourth at state.
“Honestly, it’s just really fun just getting the opportunity to go back to states,” Tangeman said. “We are a really good team together, and we support each other. “We both play singles, and we both decided to double up for states. You always take it one at a time, but hopefully we can do better than last year.”
The Ottawa Hills pair has a first-round match Friday against the Gates Mills Hawken team of senior Bella Hsieh and sophomore Valeria Kislyansky.
The winner will face the winner of a first-round match between teams from Columbus School for Girls and Cincinnati Summit Country Day.
“Being a freshman, this is really fun,” Kayse said. “I felt really welcomed by Bryn, and playing with her has been fun. With doubles, I’ve had to adjust to hitting on one side of the court, so I had to adjust to back-hands and then being up at the net when she’s serving.”
Layan Ridi and Sofia Avram, Maumee Valley
The Hawks’ junior pair enters state play following their runner-up finish at districts last Saturday.
They open with a first-round match against the Cincinnati Indian Hill senior duo of Caroline Brown and Cassie Larsen. The winner moves to the quarterfinals to face the winner of a first-round match between teams from Circleville Logan Elm and Pepper Pike Orange high schools.
“It means everything,” Ridi said of reaching state. “It’s definitely been a goal I've been working on for the past couple years, and the fact that I’ve been able to qualify this year is a great check off of my list of goals.”
Added Avram: “Layan is a super competitive player. We’re both competitive players, so I find that super helpful with maintaining energy, especially during the matches. If you’re struggling a little bit, it really helps to have somebody who is competitive and has high energy.”
Grace Arnold and Nora Pixler, Port Clinton
Pixler, a junior, makes her first trip to state, joining her classmate, who is competing in state doubles for the third straight year.
Arnold advanced to state the past two years with Reagan Ruthstaz, who has graduated. They dropped their first-round matches each year.
Last Saturday, Arnold and Pixler lost their district semifinal match 6-0, 6-1 to Ottawa Hills’ Tangeman and Kayse, but bounced back to beat Lima Central Catholic’s Claire Jankowksi and Alexa Heffner 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in a tight consolation match.
Arnold and Pixler are set to face the Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown team of senior Anna Mills and junior Charlotte Daughty in Friday’s first round. Awaiting in the quarterfinals will be the winner between teams from Canfield and Dayton Miami Valley.
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