D-. AA Girls' Tennis: Panthers, Crusaders bow out; Dutchmen advance

D-3 AA Girls` Tennis: Panthers, Crusaders bow out; Dutchmen advance

JEFF DEWEES, The Patriot-News,October 14, 2010 9:36 p.m.

It was a little halt for both Mid-Penn Class AA entrants in the quarterfinals of team tennis competition at the 1st day of the District 3 playoffs, held Thursday at Hershey Racquet Club.

Colonial division champion and Mid-Penn No.

1 East Pennsboro, along with and Mid-Penn No. 2 Bishop McDevitt, managed only one match win between them in losses to Annville-Cleona and Lancaster Catholic, respectively.

The Panthers lost 4-0 to the Little Dutchmen, while the Crusaders dropped a 3-1 decision to fellow Crusaders Lancaster Catholic in the best-of-5, 8-team bracket.

McDevitt`s second doubles pairing of Allie Tully and Shannon Bolton were the only winners for either squad Thursday with their 6-1, 6-3 decision over Lancaster Catholic`s Alison Monkman and Erika Diffendall.

McDevitt was making its first district playoff appearance in the 14 years coach Diane Rabold has been directing the program. Despite the loss, it was yet a landmark moment and something Rabold and her players took pride in accomplishing.

"I`m definitely proud of my girls," Rabold said. "Beating Trinity in our first league match, that got us in here. They completed the grandness of making it in team districts. _ I think the girls had a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. We entirely lose one senior. We`ll be back."

McDevitt senior Rachel Miller - a 0-6, 1-6 loser to Grace Kirchner and the just one on the team who graduates this spring - admitted that the newness of competing in districts may have led to unsteady nerves and subpar play for her team.

"I suppose it a substantial amount to do with it, because we`ve never played tennis on such a great scale," Miller said. "A pair of us have played here, just hitting around, but this is a new environment for us. We can`t pick it all on nerves; some of us just didn`t have our better days. But this whole affair has been great. It`s all I could have wished for for my senior year."

Annville-Cleona, Lancaster-Lebanon`s No. 2 squad, swept the Panthers behind strong efforts from senior Sami Davies at first singles and MaryKate Lemon at second singles. Davies beat East Penn`s Meg Pasquarette 6-0, 7-6 (4), while Lemon shut out Melissa Dang 6-0, 6-0.

The Davies-Pasquarette match was in that second-set tiebreaker when A-C clinched the victory. Under District 3 rules, other games in advance may be realised and, if a game wins a match, count towards a team`s final score - hence, the 4-0 verdict in a best-of-5 format.

A-C was making its inaugural district appearance and third-year coach Amy Blank was tickled pink with the results.

"I`m extremely proud of our team," Blank said. "They`ve surpassed anything I thought they were subject of doing this season, and they proceed to surprise me. I love what they`re capable of, and they learn that and keep stretching it but a short bit further."

The Dutchmen advance to face York Catholic, 3-2 winners over Fleetwood, in Tuesday`s semifinals. Lancaster Catholic squares off against Wyomissing, which defeated Delone Catholic 3-0 in the other semifinal.

The AAA bracket gets underway today at Hershey Racquet Club. Cumberland Valley, the Mid-Penn`s No. 2 club, will face Manheim Twp. at 1:15, while two-time conference champ Hershey draws Hempfield at 2:30.