Halli Essington Runner-Up at State Tennis; Bulldogs Earn Fourth Place Finish
ALL SMILES AFTER taking fourth place at the girls State Class A tennis tournament, the Milbank Area tennis players pose for a picture. They are, left to right, Hope Karels, Alexis Ninneman, Hattie Muellenbach, Halli Essington, Jenna Johnson, Aubrey Fraasch, and Marion Mischel. The tournament was Monday-Tuesday, October 5-6, in Rapid City.
Halli Essington Runner-Up at State Tennis; Bulldogs Earn Fourth Place Finish
Bulldog Halli Essington was the runner-up in the No. 1 singles division at the State Class A tennis tournament, leading the Milbank Area girls team to a fourth place finish. Essington earned all-state team honors for her efforts. Milbank tallied 264 points in the tournament which was Monday and Tuesday, October 5-6, in Rapid City.
Hattie Muellenbach (No. 2 singles) and Alexis Ninneman (No. 4 singles) won consolation titles and Jenna Johnson (No. 3 singles) and Hope Karels (No. 5 singles) finished sixth overall.
In doubles action, Essington and Muellenbach took third place at No. 1 doubles, and Ninneman and Johnson were fourth overall at No. 2 doubles.
Marion Mischel, who played at the No. 6 spot this season, suffered a foot injury and did not participate in the tournament. Aubrey Fraasch took her place in singles and doubles competition.
“I was blown away by the performance of the girls during the state tournament. Everyone played as hard as they possibly could and it paid off in the end,” said Abbey Trapp, coach. “I was very pleased with Aubrey Fraasch and how she stepped up last minute to play. Also, I could not have done this without Steve Stemsrud. He is a great addition to our team and he did a great job helping me coach the girls.”
Mitchell repeated as team champions with a team score of 499. Other team scores were Rapid City Christian, 440; Pierre, 300; Yankton, 239; Huron, 226; Aberdeen Roncalli, 211; Vermillion, 142.5; Spearfish, 86.5; Lennox, 33.5, and Madison, 33.
Singles
1. Essington defeated Evelyn Graham of Madison 6-0, 6-0; defeated Atlanta Stahle of Mitchell 6-4, 6-7, 6-3; fell to Ella Hancock of Rapid City Christian 6-0, 6-1. Second place.
2. Hattie Muellenbach fell to Ali Muller of Aberdeen Roncalli 7-6, 6-2; defeated Emily Van Liere of Madison 10-2; defeated Emma Jury of Vermillion 10-2 in the consolation semifinals; defeated Sydney Tedrow of Pierre 10-6. Fifth place.
3. Jenna Johnson fell to Bianca Medina of Huron 7-5, 7-5; defeated Lindsey Huck of Spearfish 10-2; defeated Frannie Kouri of Yankton 10-6 in the consolation semifinals; fell to Jemini Cantalope of Aberdeen Roncalli 6-1. Sixth place.
4. Alexis Ninneman fell to Hannah Beckloff of Rapid City Christian 6-2, 6-2; had a bye; defeated River Haskell of Aberdeen Roncalli 10-2 in the consolation semifinals; defeated Anne Claire Rubish of Huron 11-9. Fifth place.
5. Hope Karels fell to Kourtney Walti of Pierre 7-6, 6-4; defeated Callie Bounds of Madison 10-0; defeated Delaney Ensor of Spearfish 10-8 in the consolation semifinals; fell to Abby Hanson of Vermillion 10-6. Sixth place.
6. Aubrey Fraasch fell to Rebeccah Anglin of Spearfish 6-1, 7-5; defeated Madison Buehner of Lennox 11-9; fell to Kasey Hanson of Vermillion 11-10.
Doubles
1. Essington/Muellenbach defeated Audrey Rubish/Bethany Engelhart of Huron 3-6, 6-0, 10-4; fell to Hallie Haskell/Muller of Aberdeen Roncalli 6-3, 7-6; defeated Stahle/Amber Moller of Mitchell 10-5. Third place.
2. Ninneman/Johnson defeated Kouri/Kayla Marsh of Yankton 6-2, 6-4; fell to Mia Shankle/ Hannah Beckloff of Rapid City Christian 6-1, 6-1; fell to Medina/ Rubish of Huron 10-8. Fourth place.
3. Fraasch/Karels fell to River Haskell/Katherine Kretchman of Aberdeen Roncalli 6-2, 4-6, 10-8; fell to Ensor/Anglin of Spearfish 10-8.
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