Cathedral nets two titles

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 20, 2000

St. Andrews’s tennis team got two individual titles and three runners-up to win the MHSAA District VI, Division 3-2A championship Wednesday at the Duncan Park tennis courts. Cathedral’s tennis team finished with titles in the girls doubles and mixed doubles matches and a runner-up finish in the boys singles.

Unfortunately for Cathedral, Erin Wentworth, seeded third in girls singles, and Ben Tillman and Andrew Stubbs, seeded third in boys doubles, did not make the finals in their respected divisions.

St. Andrews won titles in the girls singles and boys singles matches and runner-up finishes in the girls doubles, boys doubles and mixed doubles matches.

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In the girls singles title match, top-seeded Phyllis Joe of St. Andrews shut out second-seeded Patty Wieclauski of Richland 6-0, 6-0.

In the boys singles title match, No. 1 seed Chris Grillis of St. Andrews defeated second-seeded Bryson Ogden of Cathedral 6-2, 6-1.

Cathedral’s Lauren Biglane and Holly Sawardecker, the top-seeded girls doubles team, defeated St. Andrews’s team of Temple and Morse 6-2, 6-0 in the title match.

It feels great (to win the district girls doubles title),&uot; Biglane said. &uot;We played them a couple of times and they played us real tough, so I’m surprised we won so easily.&uot;

&uot;Easily is kind of an understatement,&uot; Sawardecker said. &uot;They put up a good fight.&uot;

Sawardecker, playing in her first year at Cathedral, said it felt good to win district, but she doesn’t know about the team’s chances in the state tournament.

Cathedral tennis coach Lynn Ogden praised the girls doubles team and how well they played.

&uot;They were outstanding,&uot; she said. &uot;Their games compliment each other. They mesh well together. I’ll bet they’ll do well in state.&uot;

Biglane was also a two-time girls doubles state champion in 1A, winning in 1998 and 1999.

In the boys doubles title match, the top-seeded Harris twins of Morton had no problem with second-seeded Jay Songcharoen and Shelby Joe of St. Andrews, winning 6-0, 6-1.

In the mixed doubles title match, Cathedral’s Mary Alyce Cooley and Chase Ogden pulled off a big upset by defeating St. Andrews’s team of Gilberth and Clark 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Bryson Ogden, Biglane, Sawardecker, Cooley and Chase Ogden advanced to the state tournament, which will be held in Jackson on May 1-2.