Lindow, Rice face the state’s best this week
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The 2016 girls tennis season will last one more weekend for East Troy sophomores Mackenzie Lindow and Erin Rice.
Next stop, Madison.
The East Troy duo fell 2-6, 2-6 to the Greendale Martin Luther team of Emily Hafemann and Grace Amling at last week’s Division 2 Whitewater Sectional, but earned a special qualifier into the state tournament that began yesterday.
This is the 19th year out of the last 20 that East Troy will be represented at the state tournament.
Lindow-Rice are 20-2 overall, and the fact that Hafemann-Amling are seeded fifth for state, set for the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, is a testament to how difficult the sectional is, East Troy coach Dave Lindow said.
“What an incredibly tough sectional,” he said. “Geographically, we are in the best area in tennis. It’s very hard to compete with the private schools in this sectional.
“Mackenzie and Erin had a great season, and we will see what they can do against the state’s best.”
Lindow-Race open state play Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Altoona duo of seniors Heather Kent and Carolyn Dye (15-8 overall). Should they win that match, it’s very likely they will see Hafemann-Amling for the second time in a week Friday in a second-round contest that begins at noon.
“I like our matchup in the first round,” Lindow said. “We are familiar with Altoona, as we travel there every year for an invite. … (Martin Luther) is a very tough team, but you never know. We have knocked off seeds before. We will be ready.”
The Trojans’ other sectional qualifiers fell in their matches to close out the season.
East Troy’s No. 1 singles player, senior Lora Leach, ran into defending state champion, St. Joseph’s Claire Czerwonka and dropped an 0-6, 0-6 decision to end her fall at 21-6 overall.
“Lora would be a state qualifier in any other sectional in the state,” Lindow said. “Our sectional is just incredible. We have seven out of the top eight seeds in the state.
“Even Meredith Heckert from Big Foot, who state as a freshman in doubles and was a qualifier last year, was left out of the tournament.”
While she didn’t receive a special qualifier, that didn’t stop Leach from trying to help her teammates who did, Lindow said.
“After finding out that she was not a special qualifier, Lora’s first words were, ‘Can I still come to practice and help Mackenzie and Erin prepare for state?’” Lindow said. “That showed me a lot about her character and how good a teammate she is.”
Also playing in the sectional were East Troy’s No. 2 doubles team of junior Alison Barth and senior Claudia Pott, the No. 3 duo of senior Kelly Griffa and sophomore Allison Slusar and junior Victoria Pott at No. 3 singles.
Barth-Pott won their first-round matchup over Shorewood 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the final, where they fell 1-6, 5-7 the Madison Edgewood team of juniors Grace Drake and Claire Stein to finish at 10-3.
“They made a great run, and just like Lora, they were in the hardest sectional in the state,” Lindow said. “They gained a lot of experience from playing at sectionals, and Allison, just a junior, is one of our better players and will be one of our top players next year.”
Pott and Griffa-Slusar both finished fourth overall. Pott closed the fall at 9-3 overall, while Griffa-Slusar were 22-5.
“What an accomplishment to get to play in the sectional,” Lindow said. “It’s like a mini state meet (and) a great experience for our kids.
“Pott returns next season and will push to gain the top spot for the Trojans. She has the skills and the game to be very good. I’m also excited about the improvement from Allison Slusar. She is one of our most improved players. She will be a big factor on next year’s team.”
Madison Edgewood won the sectional title with 47 points, followed by St. Joseph with 44, Waukesha Catholic Memorial with 24, East Troy with 22 and Shorewood with 18.
Rounding out the team scores were Racine Prairie with 11 points, Big Foot-Williams Bay with nine, McFarland and Jefferson with eight, Martin Luther and Whitewater with six, Racine St. Catherine’s with five and Brookfield Academy and Edgerton with four.
