LAPORTE | The region will be well represented in girls tennis next weekend in Indianapolis.
At the LaPorte Regional on Saturday, Abbey Hamstra (Kankakee Valley) won both singles matches to advance to Indianapolis for the 31st Annual Singles State Tournament. Vani and Aby Madrigal of Highland won both their doubles matches to make it to the 22nd Annual Doubles State Tournament and give Aby a chance to defend last year’s title.
In the semifinal round, Hamstra defeated Kendall Shinn of Marquette 6-0, 6-1 to make it to the championship round.
“I got off to a real good start on the day,” Hamstra said. “My ground strokes were working well and I was able to build momentum throughout the first set.”
Hamstra (21-2) once again played strong in the championship round. She defeated Marina Fernandez of Angola 6-2, 6-1 to qualify for her first trip to Indianapolis.
“I’m a senior, so this was my last chance to make it downstate,” Hamstra said. “I’m really proud of the fact that I was able to qualify. I’m excited for next weekend.”
In the semifinal round, the Madrigal sisters faced the tandem of Darby Mountford and Alaina Roberts from South Bend St. Joseph’s. But the undefeated duo from Highland took the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.
“We were pretty nervous that first set,” Aby Madrigal said. “We knew this was going to be a very tough match for us, because Darby and Alaina are both very good players. It took us a while to settle down and play our game.”
In the championship round, the Madrigals (14-0) whitewashed Marissa Gernian-Andria Shook of Plymouth 6-0, 6-0.
“Our confidence level was pretty high after the semifinal win,” Aby Madrigal said. “We were on a roll and just kept playing well.”
The victories by the Madrigal sisters postponed Coach Adam Baez’s retirement another week.
“For a reason as good as this one, I’ll gladly put off retirement,” Baez said. “We’re very excited for the chance to defend Aby’s title next weekend.”
The state finals for both singles and doubles will be played June 8-9 at North Central High School in Indianapolis.
Please Wait…