It was one of those days when very little seemed to go
right.
And in the end, Xavier Prep’s Gators watched their attempt
to win a fifth straight Division I tennis title and 93rd straight
match fall by the wayside as Mesa Mountain View got a bit of revenge for its
loss to Xavier in the 2015 title match.
Mountain View used superior play by sophomore twins Anya and
Madeline Lamoreaux as well as state tournament experience to win 5-2 on
Saturday (May 7) at the Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale. Xavier had defeated
Mountain View 5-4 in the latter stages of the regular season.
Xavier (18-1) lost its top four singles matches for a 4-2
deficit, leaving the Lamoreauxs as a formidable obstacle in doubles. The odds
were not good that the twins would fall, given the fact that they already had
combined for two individual doubles titles in 2015 and 2016.
The twins wasted little time in securing the crown with an
8-0 victory.
It was Mountain View’s second state title. The first one
came in 2008, and Xavier again was the opponent. Xavier had won 18 titles
entering Saturday’s play.
Xavier coach Laurie Martin said Mountain View’s experience
was a big difference on Saturday.
“I think they had all but one of their players back from
last year,’’ she said. “We only had two players who had played in the state
tournament (senior Caroline James and junior Jordan Craft).
“Because of that inexperience, I was not sure we would be
able to reach the state title match at the beginning of the season. But the
girls worked very hard all year and almost won it. It’s not really a letdown.
Look at all they were able to accomplish. This is what makes coaching fun.
“I told the girls (afterward) how proud I am. I think this
experience will only help us in the future. We had a great group of kids and
parents.’’
The Gators had a tough stretch late in the season where they
played three road matches on successive days against Phoenix Arcadia, Mountain
View and Scottsdale Desert Mountain.
Xavier’s two individual winners on Saturday were No. 5 Maddy
Corley and No. 6 Stephanie Burckhard.
James will be the only player to graduate this spring,
leaving the players coming back ready to start a new streak in the spring of
2017.
Saturday’s results
Mesa Mountain View 5, Xavier Prep 2
Singles
Anya Lamoreaux, MV, def. Tristanne Dechoux, X, 6-4, 6-2.
Madeline Lamoreaux, MV, def. Caroline James, X, 6-4, 6-0.
Isabella Cosenza, MV, def. Jordan Craft, X, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.
McKinzi Godfrey, MV, def. Caroline Armknecht, X, 6-2, 6-3.
Maddy Corley, X, def. Tatum Hiatt, MV, 6-3, 6-2.
Stephanie Burckhard, X, def. Sara Williams, MV, 6-3, 6-0.
Doubles
A Lamoreaux-M Lamoreaux, MV, def. Shelby Daniel-C James, X,
8-0.
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