Oct. 20—BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — This isn't the title that Malea Diehn covets most. But she happily took it Tuesday afternoon at Lifetime Fitness.
For the second straight year the Mayo senior emerged as the singles champion of the Section 1, Class 3A girls individual tennis tournament.
And for the second straight year she did it by beating fellow senior and friend Aoife Loftus.
Diehn won the championship match 6-1, 7-5. That after both had cruised to semifinal wins.
Now comes the opportunity to get the "big one." Diehn longs to finish as a state champion. A year ago, it was also Diehn and Loftus meeting for that title, with Loftus emerging with the win, 6-1, 6-3.
"I want to win it so badly this year," said Diehn, who is unbeaten this season and ranked second in the state, behind Loftus. "I've always heard that second place is the worst place you can get. And I know what they mean. I will do everything I can to do well at state."
On Tuesday, she pretty much satisfied that mission, with virtually everything going well for the tall and powerful senior.
"I think I played well," she said. "I think I executed all my shots."
Asked where she has made a leap from a year ago and Diehn points to her serve. It's coming off her racquet harder than it ever has.
It earned her a pack of points Tuesday.
"The consistency of my serve has gotten a lot better," Diehn said. "I'm getting more free points from it."
Diehn and Loftus will both advance to the state individual tournament, which is Oct. 29-30 at the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center. The top two finishers from each section in singles and doubles advance.
As well as the first set went against Loftus, Diehn winning 6-1, the second set was a battle.
That came as no surprise to Diehn, who practices virtually every day against reigning state champion Loftus.
"It is her competitiveness and her fight that make (Loftus) so good," Diehn said. "No matter what the score is, she is always in the match. She's fighting back on every point."
—Eliana Elder is the ninth-ranked singles player in the state, giving Mayo three of the top 10 in Class 3A (Aoife Loftus is No. 1, Malea Diehn No. 2).
With that kind of status, Elder played singles all this season for the three-time defending state champion Spartans, occupying the No. 3 spot.
But in the section individual tournament, with Loftus and Diehn both signed up for singles, Elder went for doubles. There, the senior was joined by junior Grace Pickering.
The two took a bit to get in a flow, but eventually got there and finished as section champions. In the final, Elder/Pickering beat Century's Zoe Zhang and Jasmine Yu 6-4, 6-1.
A year ago, Elder teamed with since graduated Anna Medina to finish third at the state tournament in doubles.
"It was really good today; Grace and I make a really good team," Elder said. "I like doubles and I like playing with Grace. I'm really looking forward to going to state both in individuals and as a team (Oct. 27-28)."
Pickering said that it took a few swings before she and Elder got completelyy comfortable with each other Tuesday. But they definitely got there.
"It's always an adjustment with a new person," Pickering said.
Elder did much of her damage from the baseline, where she is at her best, and Pickering made her noise at the net, where she excels.
It turned into a winning combination. Now they will take their act to state.
ROCHESTER — Olivia Regal is keeping tennis greatness in her family.
In the college tennis ranks, it is older sister Chloe Regal who has been tearing things up at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
One year ago, as a freshman, Chloe was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's "Newcomer of the Year." She went through the entire conference season without losing a match.
On Tuesday at the Rochester Athletic Club, Stewartville's Olivia Regal — Chloe's younger sister — showed how much game she also has. The Tigers junior blazed to the Section 1, Class 2A singles championship. She beat Northfield's Kate Grant 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals, then roared again in the championship, blasting Northfield's Maia Richardson 6-2, 6-1.
She will now play in the Class 2A state individual tournament, Oct. 29-30 at Lifetime Bloomington South.
—In Class 2A doubles, the champions were Winona's combination of Anna Bricco and Aundra Aarre. They beat Jordan's Aubrey Wittkop and Kendall Johnson 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals, then got past Northfield's Gwen Tapper and Siri Richardson 7-5, 6-2 in the final.
They will also take part in the state individual tournament, with the top two finishers in singles and doubles from each section advancing.
SINGLES
Semifinals: Aoife Loftus (Mayo) def. Patty Joe Procopio 6-4, 6-0; Malea Diehn (Mayo) def. Catherine Li (Century) 6-0, 6-1. Championship: Diehn def. Loftus 6-1, 7-5. True second: Loftus def. Li 6-1, 6-4.
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Eliana Elder/Grace Pickering (Mayo) def. Mia Brue/Nora Serr (John Marshall) 6-3, 6-2; Zoe Zhang/Jasmine Yu (Century) def. Eden Bendel/Diane Meunier 6-3, 7-6 (7-1). Championship: Elder/Pickering def. Zhang/Yu 6-4, 6-2. Third place: Bendel/Meunier def. Brue/Serr 6-4, 6-1.
SINGLES
Semifinals: Olivia Regal (Stewartville) def. Kate Grant (Northfield) 6-3, 6-1; Maia Richardson (Northfield) def. Ellie Adams (Tri-City United) 6-0, 6-1. Championship: Regal def. Richardson 6-2, 6-1.
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Gwen Tapper/Siri Richardson (Northfield) def. Mackenzie Ries/Leedia Xiong (Simley) 6-7 (7-4), 6-1, 7-6 (7-5); Anna Bricco/Aundra Aarre (Winona) def. Aubrey Wittkop/Kendall Johnson (Jordan) 6-3, 7-5. Championship: Bricco/Aarre def. Tapper/Richardson 7-5, 6-2.