Phoenix Country Day blanks Pusch Ridge in girls state tennis team final

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Maren Hatch raises her racquet and awaits the ball’s arrival. The Thatcher senior teamed up with Lindsey McMaster for doubles, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to the eventual runner-up Gilbert Christian duo. The Section I entrants posted a combined 10-13 record, 4-6 in singles and 6-7 in doubles.

Singles doubles titles earned by top seeds

By Raymundo Frasquillo

GLENDALE – The No. 5 Phoenix Country Day School Eagles (11-1, 13.2329) defeated the No. 3 Pusch Ridge Christian Lions (14-1, 17.4287) 5-0 on Saturday, May 6 for the Division III girls tennis team championship at the Glendale Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 West Thunderbird Road.

The teams both held six titles apiece previous to the matchup; Pusch Ridge all in the 21st Century (2007-08, 2010, 2017-19) and Phoenix Country Day (1991, 1996, 2009, 2011-12, 2022).

Phoenix Country Day is 33-9 in the post-season during 15 seasons (2009-23) while Pusch Ridge is 25-8 and 2-2 in title pairings with Phoenix Country Day, 5-4 (2010) and 5-0 (2018).

It is the eighth meeting in the post-season during the same 15-year span, with the Eagles having a 4-3 edge, 5-0 in the 2009 semifinals, 5-2 in the 2011 final, 5-3 in the 2012 quarterfinals, and 5-0 in the 2021 quarterfinals. Pusch Ridge has also prevailed 5-0 in the 2019 semifinals.

Division III Girls State Team Tourney

Phoenix Country Day ousted No. 12 Gilbert Classical (7-4, 6.5643) 5-0 during the first round and No. 4 Scottsdale Prep (11-1, 16.3827) 6-3 during the quarterfinals, and No. 1 Chandler Prep (8-2, 20.2969) 5-0 during the semifinals.

Chandler Prep sent home No. 16 Tucson’s The Gregory School (8-2, 3.8903) 5-0 during the first round and No. 9 Gilbert Christian (10-3, 9.8714) 5-2 during the quarterfinals.

Pusch Ridge eliminated No. 14 Safford (8-5, 5.6296) 5-0 during the first round, No. 6 Thatcher (11-3 seeding, 11.0980 rating) 5-2 during the quarterfinals, and No. 10 Glendale Prep (12-1, 8.1334) 5-0 during the semifinals.

Glendale Prep bounced No. 7 Anthem Prep (10-2, 10.6075) 5-2 during the first round and No. 15 Flagstaff Northland Prep (6-4, 4.5464) 5-0 during the quarterfinals.

Also eliminated in the first round were No. 13 Phoenix Veritas Prep (9-4. 5.8990) 5-1 by Scottsdale Prep, No. 11 Tucson Tanque Verde (8-4, 6.5956) 5-0 by Thatcher, No. 8 Willcox (11-2, 9.8768) 5-0 by Gilbert Christian, and No. 2 Flagstaff Basis (10-0, 17.5775) 5-3 by Northland Prep.

The Top 16 ranked teams and section champions qualified and met in the first round on April 25 at the higher seed. The higher seed hosted the quarterfinals (May 2) while the semifinals (May 5) and finals (May 6) are both at the Glendale Paseo Racquet Center.

Section I, Section IV, and Section VI had three teams apiece in the Top 16; Section II, Section V, and Section VII had two each; and Section III had one for the first round.

Advancing to the quarterfinals were two Section VII teams while Sections I, II, III, IV, V, and VI had one apiece.

Division III Girls State Individual Tourneys

Twenty Section I student-athletes competed in the state individual girls tourneys, six in singles and 14 in doubles, at the Glendale Paseo Racquet Center.

Two singles and two doubles entrants succumbed in the first round on April 28, four singles and four doubles in the second round on April 28, and one doubles in the quarterfinals on April 29.

Thatcher freshman Sophia Haynie (13-1) fell 1-6 twice to Pusch Ridge freshman Emma Bartruff (13-0), Safford senior Kali Gluyas (5-7) fell 5-7 and 2-6 to Tombstone senior Skylar Manzzanti (8-3).

Safford juniors Hazel Green – Rachel Peterson (7-3) fell 6-10 in a tie-breaker after splitting 1-6 and 6-2 with Northland Prep junior Arushi Patel – sophomore Amelia Raab (5-6), and Pima sophomores Kennedy Minor – Mia Ashby (4-8) fell 5-7 and 2-6 to Scottsdale Prep sophomores Florie Braquet – Gabriella Clerici (9-2).

Round two exits were made by Safford senior Savanna Clonts (9-2), Thatcher sophomore Kayla Turley (11-3), and Willcox juniors Mia Mungaro (11-2) and Valerie Durazo (11-2) in singles along with Duncan No. 5 seed senior Kaylee Kempton – sophomore Emily Kempton (11-0), Morenci senior Cambri McCauley – junior Anita Gonzalez (6-8), Thatcher juniors Maddie Scarborough – Zoey Damron (8-2), and Willcox senior Kennedy Peterson – junior Marissa Paz (8-3).

Clonts defeated Flagstaff Basis sophomore Niya Crowder (10-1) 6-4 and 6-3 before falling 0-6 twice to Wadell American Leadership – West Foothills junior Mckenna Fackrell (9-1), Turley downed Lincoln Prep senior Angelica Gilgi (5-7) 6-3 and 6-1 before falling 4-6 and 3-6 to Flagstaff Basis senior Jenna Crone (8-2); Mungarro defeated Benjamin Franklin senior Nicole Seiaxia (8-0) 6-2 and 6-3 before falling 0-6 twice to Pusch Ridge sophomore Estella Fetsis; and Durazo downed junior Jaiden Doumouchel-Jones (11-2) 6-2 twice before falling 2-6 and 1-6 to Phoenix Veritas Prep senior Anna Schillinger (8-6).

Kempton – Kempton defeated Miami junior AnnMary Terrence – senior Emily Byington (0-0) 6-1 and 6-2 before falling 4-10 in a tie-breaker after splitting 4-6 and 6-1 with Phoenix Country Day freshmen Zara Campbell – Rachel Coviello (9-0); McCauley – Gonzalez downed Glendale Prep sophomore Rachel Blackmore – junior Marin Sanborn (6-1) 7-6 and 6-4 before falling 3-6 and 2-6 to Tanque Verde juniors Toni DeFalco – Kailey Reichardt (8-1), Scarborough – Damron defeated Phoenix Basis juniors Sinchanna Keshav – Natania Arun (2-3) 6-1 and 7-5 before falling 6-1 twice to Pusch Ridge seniors Ali Grammond – Madi Van Holsbeke (10-1) 6-1 twice; and Peterson – Paz downed senior Charlotte Grace Latting-Vander Molen junior Dilynn Untalasco (8-3) 6-1 and 6-2 before falling 0-6 twice to Gilbert Christian seniors Isabella Branton – Margaret Rowan (10-2)

Thatcher No. 7 seed seniors Maren Hatch – Lindsey McMaster (8-3) defeated Northwest Christian junior Ava Gibson – sophomore Ella Hegseth (3-3) 6-1 and 6-4 and The Gregory School freshmen Angelica Moore – Ellie Sundt (0-2) 6-1 and 6-0 before falling 1-6 and 2-6 to Gilbert Christian seniors Isabella Branton – Margaret Rowan (10-2).

Top-seeded Scottsdale Prep junior Nandini Patel earned the state singles title, downing No. 2 Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep junior Sonia Vallabhaneni (5-1) 6-4 twice to finish 14-1.

Patel defeated Northland Prep junior Helena Gaviglio (6-2) 6-1 twice in the first round, Pusch Ridge freshman Emma Bartruff (13-0) 6-2 and 6-0 in the second round, No. 8 Veritas Prep senior Anna Schillinger (8-6) 6-2 and 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and No. 5 Anthem Prep senior Samantha Widener (13-0) in the semifinals.

Vallabhaneni reached the finals with wins of 6-2 and 6-0 over Saint John Paul II Catholic sophomore Natalia Piatek (9-6) in the first round, 6-0 and 6-1 over Scottsdale Prep junior Samantha Ferro (10-1) in the second round, 6-1 twice over No. 7 Flagstaff Basis senior Jenna Crone (8-2) in the quarterfinals, and 75 and 6-2 over No. 3 Phoenix Country Day senior Milan Coraggio-Sewell in the semifinals.

In doubles, top-ranked Chandler Prep senior Gaby Chu – junior Sonali Bhalla (12-0) outlasted No. 2 Gilbert Christian seniors Isabella Branton – Margaret Rowan (10-2) 6-3 and 7-5 for the title.

Chu – Bhalla eliminated freshman Lily McGeough – senior Paige Borazanci (0-2) 6-1 twice during the first round, Northland Prep junior Arushi Patel – sophomore Amelia Raab (5-6) 6-0 twice during the second round, No. 8 Pusch Ridge seniors Ali Grammond – Madi Van Holsbeke (10-1) 6-0 twice during the quarterfinals, Phoenix Country Day freshmen Zara Campbell – Rachel Coviello (9-0) 6-1 and 6-2 during the semifinals.

Branton – Rowan advanced to the final with wins of 6-3 and 6-2 over Scottsdale Cicero Prep freshmen Hailey Bostwick – Bianca Carbone (8-3) in the first round, 6-0 twice over Willcox senior Kennedy Peterson – junior Marissa Paz (8-3) in the second round, 6-1 and 6-2 over No. 7 Thatcher seniors Maren Hatch – Lindsey McMaster (8-3) in the quarterfinals, 7-5 and 6-2 over No. 3 Phoenix Country Day seniors Julia Black – Elle Bartolino (8-1) in the semifinals.

Final Division III Girls State Rankings

The final Division III state rankings as of noon on April 19 had three teams from Section I, Section IV, and Section VI in the Top 16; two from Section II, Section V, and Section VII; and one from Section III.

The teams were Section IV Chandler Prep (13-0 seeding, 20.2969 rating) was No. 1, Section VI Flagstaff Basis (10-0, 17.5775) No. 2, Section II Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (14-1, 17.4287) No. 3, Section V Scottsdale Prep (11-1, 16.3827) No. 4, Section VII Phoenix Country Day School (11-1, 13.2329) No. 5, Section I Thatcher (11-3, 11.0980) No. 6, Section VI Anthem Prep (10-2, 10.6075) No. 7, and Section I Willcox (11-2, 9.8768) No. 8.

Section IV Gilbert Christian (10-3, 9.8714) was No. 9, Section VII Glendale Prep (12-1, 8.1334) No. 10, Section II Tucson Tanque Verde (8-4, 6.5956) No. 11, Section IV Gilbert Classical (7-4, 6.5643) No. 12, Section V Phoenix Veritas Prep (9-4. 5.8990) No. 13, Section I No. 14 Safford (8-5, 5.6296), Section VI Flagstaff Northland Prep (6-4, 4.5464) No. 15, and Section III Tucson’s The Gregory School (8-2, 3.8903) No. 16.

The other state rankings for Section I members were Duncan (7-4, 3.2530) No. 17, Morenci (5-9, minus 0.87068) No. 26, Pima (4-10, minus 3.0007) No. 30, and Benson (1-11, minus 8.0235) No. 39.