Leach finishes season with the best of the best
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
A special qualifier gave East Troy junior girls tennis player Lora Leach a berth in last weekend’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 State Tournament in Madison.
But once she was there, she proved she belonged.
Leach won her first match Thursday to advance to the Sweet 16 – the first East Troy tennis player to turn that feat since Haley Tanis in 1999.
Her tournament run ended in the next round to eventual runner-up, Pacelli senior Tallie Piaskowski, but that couldn’t dampen the trip to the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, East Troy coach Dave Lindow said.
“It was a great accomplishment to get to the final 16 in the state tournament,” he said. “It was a great experience for her.
“She had the best year ever in school history, and I know she will work hard to get back to state her senior year.”
Leach, who finished at 24-6 overall, swept Rice Lake senior Cecily Lindner 6-1, 7-5 in the opening round.
That match came down to which player settled into the big surroundings in Madison, Lindow said.
“Lora came out confident, while her opponent was a little nervous,” he said. “(Lindner) did not settle down until she was down 1-4 in the second set, and then won four straight games to tie the match at 4-4. (But) Lora fought through it.”
In the next match Friday, Leach just ran into a talented player in Piaskowski, who eventually fell in the state championship matchup to St. Joseph junior Claire Czerwonka.
Piaskowski, who had just two losses this season, hurts her opponents in a number of ways, Lindow said.
“Tallie is an unbelievable player,” he said. “She has the entire game. Lora played great, but players like Tallie do not give you too many points. It’s hard to win four points in one game against her.”
