Lake tennis champ Edina defeats girls Wayzata 4-3

Six of the seven matches ended in straight sets when the Edina and Wayzata girls tennis teams matched up in the Lake Conference title match Oct. 5 on the Steve Paulsen Courts in Edina.

It was the seventh match that everyone was watching at the end of the day. Two hours and 11 minutes after the deciding match began, Edina captain Cici Bourne and her partner Mylana Hallaway raised their racquets in victory over Wayzata’s Morgan Berge and Lisa Cao. It took three sets to decide the outcome. Edina took the first set 6-1, then Wayzata rallied for a 7-6 win in set 2. Edina took control early in the third set and hit a string of winners in the middle of the set on the way to a 6-2 victory.

“We moved one of our flex players [Hallaway] into second doubles,” Edina head coach Jaime Gaard said.

It was a bold move to make the switch because Hallaway had won nine consecutive matches in fourth singles.

Wayzata had a surprise that paid off at third doubles. “Dana Loendorf played her first varsity doubles match of the season,” Trojan head coach Kathleen Farber said. “She and Colette Gefroh played a great match to win the point..”

The Trojans won 6-4, 7-5 at No. 3 in a close match against Edina’s Berit Larson and Avery Hardt.

First doubles was in Wayzata’s control from start to finish with Nikole Nazarevych and Caroline Angel defeating Alison Schmidt and Sarah Levine 6-2, 6-2.

“My surprise was that we lost one of the doubles matches,” Wayzata coach Farmer said. “Morgan Berge dug deep [in the second set] to give us a chance at second doubles. We did everything we could.”

Singles decisions favored Edina 3-1 with wins at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.

Senior Rashi Singh of Edina dominated in her match against Wayzata ninth-grade prodigy Melody Le with scores of 6-1, 6-0 at first singles. Sophomore captain Bella Loucks of the Hornets topped Avika Hasti 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2. In a mild upset, Edina ninth-grader Sophia Zeng took down Wayzata captain Joy Zhou 6-0, 6-4 at third singles.

Coach Gaard Chapman of Edina said, “I couldn’t be prouder of Sophia. She has more depth on her shots this year and is constructing points better.”

Wayzata garnered the fourth singles point with Julia Borchardt winning 6-2, 6-3 over Hornet eighth-grader Madeline Sundick. “Nothing bothers Julia,” coach Farmer of Wayzata observed. “You can never tell by her expression if she is up or down. She’s very good at coming to the net, and she is very coachable.”

Exhausted and happy after winning the key point for Edina, Bourne and Hallaway talked about their match.

“I am so happy to be part of this team,” Hallaway began. “We created a lot of energy today. Cici and I were partners in third doubles last season. I love playing with her because she is always supportive and very kind.”

Bourne pointed out the main challenge in playing against the Wayzata team of Berge and Cao: “They kept slicing. We found a way to get the ball back. It was important to focus on one point at a time.”

As the captain and leader of the Edina doubles corps, Bourne is proud of what the Hornets have accomplished. “We switch the combinations around and everyone puts their best foot forward,” she said. “It has been so much fun watching everyone on our team grow.”

The Hornets improved to 14-2 with the win over Wayzata, which also was 14-2 after the match. Both teams added a pair of victories in Section 6AAA matches last week. Thus, they were matched in the finals Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Inner City Tennis Center in South Minneapolis. The match was in progress shortly after this edition had gone to press.

Coaches from both teams said they wouldn’t be surprised if the title would be decided in another 4-3 match. The general consensus was: Whoever plays the best that day, goes to state.