Season ends for CEC tennis in second round of playoffs

The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton tennis team finished its season with one win and one loss in the section playoffs, with individual play scheduled as this edition of the Pine Journal went to press.

The ’Jacks locked up second place in the Lake Superior Conference with a 4-3 win over Duluth Marshall last Tuesday. Asha Fritsinger and Kalie Shevich won the deciding doubles match in a third-set tiebreaker that barely beat the sunset to give CEC the win.

After dropping the final match of the regular season to Aitkin, CEC rebounded with a 7-0 first-round playoff win over Hermantown Monday night.

“Asha and Kalie played really well at doubles again (in a 6-1, 6-3 win) and had the match sewed up before the exciting matches took place,” coach Steve Rickstrom said. “It was nice to beat Hermantown since they knocked us out last season.”

Three of the matches went to third set tie-breakers, and the ’Jacks won all of them. Savanna Ellena beat Hermantown’s Ashley Lund at second singles, Reilly Kedrowski and Kristen Chalich beat Joanna Carlson and Isabelle Dougherty at first doubles, and Lizz Jezierski and Stephanie Campbell defeated Andrea Offerson and Brianna Meyers-Garcia at third doubles.

The other matches were all straight-set CEC wins including Kelsey Collier at first singles and Lora Chalich at fourth singles.

The next day, the team season came to an end with a 7-0 loss against an excellent Hibbing team.

“Hibbing is that darned good,” Rickstrom said. “I thought we played pretty well, but Hibbing is a power with monster talent.”

Jezierski and Campbell came the closest for CEC, falling 6-3, 6-4 at second doubles.

Rickstrom noted that the next step in the program’s development may be related to facilities.

“Hibbing has eight summer courts, four winter courts and quite a few year-round players,” he said. “We have four summer courts and none in the winter. It’s hard to compete with that, but I am very proud of our kids.”

Rickstrom had especially kind words for Collier, who will close out a six-year CEC career in the singles portion of the section tournament this week.

“She is really the heart of our team,” Rickstrom said. “She has been playing No. 1 singles since 10th grade, and as she goes, we go. We will miss her. She is just a stalwart.”

Rickstrom also noted the fine play of Ellena at second singles and Shevich and Fritsinger at doubles.

“I can’t say enough about this group of seniors for effort and for what they did out there,” he said.

Collier earned a No. 5 seed in the section singles tournament, to be played Thursday in Hibbing. Ellena will also take part in the singles tournament, while Shevich and Fritsinger will play doubles along with 2011 captain Reilly Kedrowski and Michaela Houser.

Tags: sports, tennis, cloquet, esko, carlton, preps