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Zielinski, Markle survive three-set matches to advance in the YAIAA girls' tennis tournament


Laura Zielinski of Northeastern and Dagney Markle of New Oxford got a little more tennis in than the other two semifinalists during Saturday's portion of the YAIAA Class AAA girls' singles championship at South Western High School.

Both Zielinski and Markle needed three sets in their quarterfinal matchups, but each pulled through to advance to Monday afternoon's semifinal round.

The second-seeded Zielinski and third-seeded Markle are joined by No. 1 seed Yvonne Peters-Washington of Central York and No. 4 seed Christie Friedrich of Dallastown in the semis.

Peters-Washington faces Friedrich in one semifinal while Zielinski and Markle meet in the other semi. Both matches are slated to begin at 1 p.m. Monday at South Western with the championship and third-place matches following.

Rain on Friday forced the tourney to be postponed before the first round could be completed. Several first-round matches finished up Saturday morning before the second round and the quarterfinals took place.

Zielinski won her first two rounds in straight sets before meeting No. 6 seed Maddie Mummert of Central York in the quarterfinals.

Mummert won the opening set in a tiebreaker before Zielinski rallied back for a 6-7 (0-7), 6-2, 6-2 win.

"That first set was not that great," said Zielinski, a senior who lost to Susquehannock's then-senior Usha Baublitz in last year's YAIAA Class AAA title match. "(Mummert) had a really great inside-out forehand. She hits it with power and, if she hits it right, it's in the corner. I just had to remember to move my feet. Going through matches most of this season, a lot of the players don't hit as hard. It was a great match to prepare for Monday and for districts."

Markle followed a similar path, dropping just six games in breezing through the first two rounds with straight-set victories. She met fifth-seeded Chloe Berridge of Dallastown in the quarters, and the two battled through some long points before Markle emerged with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.

"That was probably the toughest match I've had all year," said Markle, a junior who didn't make it out of the second round the past two years. "(Berridge's) shots were pretty hard and almost always accurate. She didn't make many mistakes."

Peters-Washington dropped just three games in getting through her first two opponents in straight sets, then met eighth-seeded Madi Bortner of South Western in the quarters.

The first set was a 6-2 win by Peters-Washington, but she struggled somewhat with some unforced errors in the second set before ending things with a 7-5 win.

"My game was all off," said Peters-Washington, a senior who won the District 6 Class AAA singles' championship and advanced to the PIAA state tourney quarters a year ago. "My serve was off. I was a little nervous. Just because. It got into my head, and I just had to breathe and get myself together. I was telling myself 'It's just a match. I've practiced for hours and hours. I can do it.' I got through it."

Friedrich also won her first two rounds in straight sets, then needed to win a tiebreaker in her opening set in the quarters against unseeded Sophie Brink of Central York. Brink had advanced to the quarters after upsetting No. 7 seed Kristina Snyder of Red Lion, 6-2, 6-0, in the first round.

"Sophie played really well," said Friedrich, a junior who made it to the quarterfinals last fall before being eliminated by Zielinski. "The first set was really tight because we were both being so consistent. It was a matter of who could finish the point first. I knew I had to clinch the tiebreak. Even my hardest shots, she would still get back. It was definitely tripping me up in the first set."

Friedrich rebounded by blanking Brink in the second set to claim the match and set up Monday's semifinal meeting with Peters-Washington.

High school girls tennis

YAIAA Tournament

Singles

Class AAA

at South Western High School

Saturday's results

First Round

(1) Yvonne Peters-Washington (CY) def. Amber Meckley (NO), 6-1, 6-0.

Kim Grosmick (G) def. Brooke Treadway (SG), 6-1, 6-2.

(8) Madi Bortner (SW) def. Tiffany Hoke (SG), 6-1, 6-1.

Mikaela Lardarello (NO) def. Sabrina Lam (SW), 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.

(4) Christie Friedrich (Dt) def. Victoria Blymier (SG), 6-0, 6-3.

Morgan Kistler (Do) def. Lydia Fairlamb (WY), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Sophie Brink (CY) def. (7) Kristina Snyder (RL), 6-2, 6-0.

Eva Gockowski (Do) def. Julianne Cassady (Sus), 7-5, 6-0.

Angela Friedrich (Dt) def. Alex DiGiovanni (Do), 6-4, 6-4.

(5) Chloe Berridge (Dt) def. Michaela Sentz (SW), 6-3, 6-4.

Maddie Reed (Do) def. Kristin Endres (Sus), 6-0, 6-0.

(3) Dagney Markle (NO) def. Jessica McDonald (Sus), 6-1, 6-0.

Brooke Moyer (NO) def. Alison Miller (RL), 6-0, 5-7, 6-2.

(6) Maddie Mummert (CY) def. Rachel Grodin (NO), 6-1, 6-1.

Jenn Elder (CY) def. Regan Ford (SW), 6-3, 6-4.

(2) Laura Zielinski (NE) def. Sarah Donner (CY), 6-1, 6-1.

Second Round

(1) Peters-Washington (CY) def. Grosmick (G), 6-0, 6-2.

(8) Bortner (SW) def. Lardarello (NO), 6-4, 6-1.

(4) C. Friedrich (Dt) def. Kistler (Do), 6-3, 6-3.

Brink (CY) def. Gockowski (G), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.

(5) Berridge (Dt) def. A. Friedrich (Dt), 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

(3) Markle (NO) def. Reed (Do), 6-3, 6-2.

(6) Mummert (CY) def. Moyer (NO), 6-1, 6-1.

(2) Zielinski (NE) def. Elder (CY), 6-3, 6-0.

Quarterfinals

(1) Peters-Washington (CY) def. (8) Bortner (SW), 6-2, 7-5.

(4) C. Friedrich (Dt) def. Brink (CY), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0.

(3) Markle (NO) def. (5) Berridge (Dt), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

(2) Zielinski (NE) def. (6) Mummert (CY), 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-2.

Monday's games

Semifinals (1 p.m.)

(1) Peters-Washington (CY) vs. (4) C. Friedrich (Dt).

(3) Markle (NO) vs. (2) Zielinski (NE).

Class AA

at Red Lion

Saturday's results

First round

(1) Alyssa Neudecker, DC, def. Kellie Dandy, KD, 6-0, 6-0.

Clare Boone, KD, def. Bridget Kilkelly, DC, 6-2, 6-2.

(8) Katie Thomas, DC, def. Annie Javitt, YC, 6-0, 6-1.

Elizabeth Huh, YS, def. Emily Glass, Big, 6-1, 6-0.

(3) Brooke Yurick, BeS, def. Erin McBrairty, YC, 6-2, 6-1.

Maddy Lenker, YS, def. Grace Rutter, Lt, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Brooke Siebert, KD, def. Samantha Schwamb, YC, 7-5, 6-3.

Mayra Hernandex, YC, def. Cassidy Reigart, 6-1, 6-1.

(5) Morgan Onrdorff, Big, def. Bailey Cross, YS, 6-1, 6-0.

Emily Jesko, DC, def. Kaitlyn Stockslager, Lt, 6-4, 6-1.

(4) Ellie Neudecker, DC, def. Dilly O'Donnell, YS, 6-0, 6-0.

Ciera Collins, Lt, def. Jen Reynolds, Han, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-2.

(6) Carolyn Thomas, YC, def. Paris Happel, Lt, 6-1, 6-1.

Liv Pindzola, YS, def. Emily Ritter, DC, 6-0, 6-0.

(2) Alyssa Miller, KD, def. Lauren Brough, Big, 6-0, 6-0.

Second round results were not reported