Brandywine wins third straight regional

Published 5:21 pm Monday, May 18, 2009

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Last year a trio of teams slugged it out for the right to win the Division 4 Regional Tennis championship and a spot in the state finals.
Those same three teams – Brandywine, Buchanan and Dowagiac – were at it again, but under very different circumstances.
Rain began falling just after noon at Leeper Park in South Bend, so the tournament was forced indoor at the South Bend Racquet Club.
With fewer courts and other issues the tournament wrapped up late Friday night nearly 12 hours after it began.
Brandywine held off the field to win its fourth regional title in the last five years and its third straight.
But the Bobcats had to battle.
Brandywine, which finished with 22 points, won just two regional championships.
Runner-up Dowagiac, which qualified for the state finals in Jenison on May 29 for the second straight year, also had two champions and finished with 18 points.
Schoolcraft was third with 16 points and Buchanan, which had qualified as a team in 2008, had 15 points.
Paw Paw was fifth with 12 points.
The top two teams qualify for the state finals, as do any team that garners 18 points.
Dowagiac's champions were at No. 4 singles and doubles.
Macy Howard defended her regional championship with a 6-1 and 6-2 win over Buchanan's Nash Hughes.
At No. 4 doubles, Jessica Hargett and Casey Collins defeated Brandywine's Brooke Ford and Kyla Molica 6-2 and 6-3.
"During the conference tournament, we began to peak, winning important head to head matches, which led to good seedings at the regional meeting," Dowagiac coach Curtis Partee said. "This helped us gain momentum and achieve the 18 points needed to advance to State finals.
"The meeting to discuss our strategy for winning regional was based on family support and unity. We had been building on these dynamics all season. We talked about the need to support each team member. If one should lose, the other would step up and work hard to regain that point. Going into the last round we needed three more points to go to state. Each of these team members were able to secure their point. While this made for a dramatic ending, it was every girl's best effort and hard work, that got us here," he added.
The Lady Bucks will send one player to the state finals as senior Courtney Miller captured the No. 1 singles title against Brandywine's Brittney Patterson with a 6-3 and 7-6 (2) victory.
Miller and Patterson slugged it out for the second straight Friday in a championship match.
The two played for nearly four hours the previous Friday at the Lakeland Conference Tournament with Patterson getting the win in three sets.
Brandywine's two championships came at No. 3 singles where Ariel Prescott defeated Dowagiac's Michelle Urbanski 6-4 and 6-3 and at No. 3 doubles where Katie Irons and Kelsey Prestly defeated Bridgman's Kelly Gampel and Tiara Strauss 6-1 and 6-3.
Stephanie King of Paw Paw captured the other singles championship as she defeated Taylor Broekema of Schoolcraft 6-4 and 6-3.
Schoolcraft's Kirstin Frey and Lila Krieves defeated Brandywine's Jo Ferenczi and Nichole Coshow at No. 1 doubles 6-3 and 6-4.
At No. 2 doubles, Alex Nelson and Alison Manning of Schoolcraft defeated Brandywine's Lynnette Earl and Lauren Leonard 3-6, 6-4 and 7-5.
Division 4 Regional
Tennis Tournament
At South Bend, Ind.
Team Scores
1. Brandywine 22; 2. Dowagiac 18; 3. Schoolcraft 16; 4. Buchanan 15; 5. Paw Paw 12; 6. Lake Michigan Catholic 10; 7. Bridgman 9; 8. Constantine 4; 9. Coloma 3; 10. Cassopolis 2; 11. Eau Claire 0
Championship round
Singles
1. Courtney Miller (BU) d. Brittany Patterson (BW) 6-3, 7-6 (2); 2. Stephanie King (PP) d. Taylor Broekema (SC) 6-4, 6-0; 3. Ariel Prescott (BW) d. Michelle Urbanski (D) 6-4, 6-3; 4. Macy Howard (D) d. Nash Hughes (BU) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. Kirstin Frey-Lila Krieves (S) d. Jo Ferenczi-Nichole Coshow (BW) 6-3, 6-4; 2. Alex Nelson-Alison Manning (SC) d. Lauren Leonard-Lynette Earl (BW) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; 3. Kelsey Prestly-Katie Irons (BW) d. Kelly Gampel-Tiara Strauss (BR) 6-1, 6-3. 4. Jessica Hargett-Casey Collins (D) d. Brooke Ford-Kyla Molica (BW) 6-2, 6-3