CENTRALIA – Julianne Lindsco finished second in the singles, while the doubles team of Emma Baudino and Nora Kampwerth also finished second in doubles, and all will represent Highland in the IHSA Class 1A state girls tennis tournament as the Bulldogs finished second in the Centralia sectional over the weekend.
Flora won the team title with 31 points, with Highland second at 22 points, Salem was third with 17 points, Hillsboro was fourth with eight points, the host Orphan Annies, Fairfield, Mt. Carmel, and Vandalia tied for fifth with six points each, Nashville and Mt. Vernon tied for ninth with two points apiece, and Greenville finished 11th, and failed to score.
In the singles, Jolie Mott of the Bulldogs won her second round match over Carly Fleener of Fairfield 6-0, 6-0, but lost in her quarterfinal match to Leah Jones of Flora 6-1, 6-0. Lindsco won her second round match over Reagan Voyles of Hillsboro 6-0. 6-0, then qualified for state with a quarterfinal win over Abbi Patrick of Salem 6-0, 6-0. In the semifinals, with all four players having qualified for state, Jones won over Katee Sellers of Salem 6-3, 6-2, and Lindsco won over Mya Sloan of Flora 6-4, 6-2. The third place match was won by Sloan over Sellers 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, and in the final, Jones won over Lindsco 6-4, 6-3.
In the doubles, Baudino and Kampwerth won their second round match over Clover Tinsley and Abbie Russel of Mt. Vernon 6-1, 6-1, then qualified for state with a quarterfinal win over Kinley Souder and Nicole Menghi of Flora 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Meanwhile Rachael Reckmann and Aimee Jansen won their first round match over Eden Kapp and Maddie Hardin of Greenville 6-1, 6-1, but were eliminated in the second round by Ava Giese and Alivia Peach of Mt. Carmel 0-6, 6-1, 6-1.
In the semifinals, Baudino and Kampwertth won over Madison Keserauskis and Ella Robinson of Salem 6-4, 6-3, and Elise Duke and Makenna Hackney of Flora took a 6-4, 2-6. 6-3 win over Giese and Peach. In the third place match, Keserauskis and Robinson won over Giese and Peach 6-1. 6-0, and Duke and Hackney won the final over Baudino and Kampwerth 6-3, 6-4.
The qualifiers will be playing in the Class 1A state tournament Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 23-25, at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and at various venues throughout northwest suburban Chicago.
