TIED UP AGAIN: Redettes, Eskymos Settle Nothing
MARQUETTE---The Marquette Redettes and Escanaba Eskymos girls tennis teams played to a 4-4 tie for the second straight meeting on Tuesday, with both teams each winning two singles matches and two doubles matches. The two teams also played to a 4-4 draw earlier this month in Escanaba, setting the stage for some good matchups in the conference and U.P. finals.
From Escanaba's point-of-view, the #1 singles and #1 doubles team both picked up victories, and both stayed undefeated for the season. In singles, Escanaba's Sophia Derkos got the better of Marquette's Kaia Miller, 6-3, 6-2. In doubles, Escanaba's team of Delaney McIntyre and Natalie Williams turned back Marquette's two Paytons (Pleugh and Bullock), 6-3, 6-3.
"We’ve got some tough opponents coming up in the next week, so they’re going to need to stay focused and keep improving if we want to win our biggest matches to finish the year," Escanaba Coach Chris Ogren said.
From Marquette's point-of-view, it was a gutsy win at #2 singles for Annabella Martinson over Escanaba's Sonya Maki. After Martinson won the first set, 6-2, Maki came back to win the second set, 6-3. In the decisvive third set, Martinson prevailed, 6-4.
Marquette also won at #4 singles, with Natalie Deneau beating Escanaba's Maggie Martin, 6-3, 6-4. The Eskymos' #3 singles player, Molly VanDamme, was dominant, sweepimg Marquette's Cecilia Jacuzzo, 6-0, 6-0. VanDamme avenged a tree-set loss to Jacuzzo in the earlier match.
The #2 doubles match went three sets, with Escanaba's Molly Smale and Sam Manninen outlasting Marquette's Hosanna Brindle and Maija Parkonen. The Marquette duo posted a rather easy 6-1 win in the first set, but the Esky girls rebounded to win the next two, 6-3, 6-3.
"For the last two sets, Sam and Molly both were playing brilliantly smart tennis," Ogren said. "They were being patient from the baseline and aggressive at the net. Sam’s baseline play especially was the best I’ve seen from her all year."
Marquette's #3 and #4 doubles teams posted dominant wins.
At #3, Eliina Brazeau and Nistha Gutam beat Esky's Isy Braun and Sophie Wagner, 6-0, 6-3. That Redette pair also won, 6-4, 6-2, in the earlier meeting.
Ar #4, Marquette's Lexi Hammerstrom and Lyndsey Lake defeated Escanaba's Carly Bowden and Danni Hughes, 6-2, 6-1.
So, in the end, it was another stalemate between these two squads.
