State tennis: Semifinals set for boys, girls individual championships

May 1, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


A long, hot day Friday produced the semifinal pairings for the 2015 Division I, II and III individual tennis championships at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale.

Here are the semifinal matchups in each division boys and girls, singles and doubles with many familiar names vying for more prestige on Saturday. Division III matches open playwith semis  at 10 a.m and D-I and D-II semis follow at 11:30 a.m. D-III finals are set to start at aproximately 1 p.m. and D-I and D-II finals at approximately 2:30 p.m.

DIVISION I BOYS

SINGLES -- Top seed Jarod Hing (Horizon) faces No. 4 seed Daniel Hollands (Mesquite) and No. 6 Chris Steele (Corona del Sol) takes on No. 2 Zach Cihlar (Brophy Prep). Hollands finished third in singles last year and Cihlar was last year's runner-up.

DOUBLES --  No. 1 seed Jeremy Auh and Chase Victor (Desert Mountain) take on No. 5 Trey Brown and JJ Good (Brophy). Auh and Victor are defending doubles champs. Unseeded Maximo Lawlor and Austin Todd (Millennium) face No. 2 David Akin and Christian Franco (Brophy), Franco has a doubles runner-up to his credit from last year with another partner. Akin was doubles champ in 2013.

DIVISION I GiRLS

SINGLES -- The top four seeds all made it to the semis. No. 1 Madison Clarke (Xavier) meets No. 4 Madi Moore (Desert Mountain) and No. 3 Corinne Prost (Liberty) takes on No. 2 Yolena Carlon (Desert Vista). Clarke is seeking her third singles title to go with a singles runner-up as a freshman. 

DOUBLES -- As was the case in singles, the top four seeds qualified for the semis. Top-seeded freshmen Anya Lamoreaux and Madeline Lamoreaux (Mesa Mtn. View)  take on No. 4 Jewel Brundlett and Rahgan Jensen (Basha). No. 3 Caroline James and Scarlet Rush (Xavier) battle No. 2 Rebecca Salaway and Grace Koester (Chaparral). Rush is looking to become a four-time doubles champ with new partner this year James. Salaway has a singles runner-up credit from last year.

DIVISION II BOYS

SINGLES -- No upsets to this point among the final four. No. 1 Yash Parikh (Salpointe) meets No. 4 Carlos Hassey (Shadow Ridge). No. 3 Luke Carstens (Notre Dame Prep) vs. No. 2 Mike Lee (Catalina Foothills). Parikh is defending singles champ and Lee was the 2013 singles champ. Carstens, a senior, has a top-four finish in three previous seasons (third singles 2014, doubles champ 2013 and third doubles 2012).

DOUBLES -- No. 1 Nate Rasmussen and Dalton Reisig (Catalina Foothills) vs. No. 5 Christian Mineo and James Mineo (Shadow Mtn.). No.3 Ryan Knox and Brody Harn (Ironwood Ridge) vs. No. 2 Joey Anderson and Dimitry Chesnov (Cactus Shadows). Rasmussen was a doubles champ last year and took third in singles in 2013. Knox was a doubles runner-up in 2013.

DIVISION II GIRLS

SINGLES -- Just like they drew it up. No. 1 Caroline Amos (Salpointe) vs. No.4  Lexi Lehman (Notre Dame Prep). No. 2 Sabrina Barkdull (Arcadia) vs. No. 3 Chloe Gavino (Rincon). Amos, the lone senior among the final four, was singles runner-up in 2013.  Barkdulll was singles runner-up in 2013.

DOUBLES --  Just like they drew it up for singles in D-II. No. 11 Kirtana Bhat and Abby Watson (Catalina Foothills) vs. No. 4 Carriebelle Kent and Lindsay Pesquiera (Rincon).  No. 2 Kelsey Brown and Allison Knox (Ironwood Ridge) vs. No. 3 Alexa Cooke and Alyssa Heid (Notre Dame Prep). Bhat is seeking a fourth title in four years. She was singles champ last year and doubles champ in 2013 and 2012. Brown and Knox are defending doubles champs.

D-III BOYS

SINGLES -- No. 1 Noah Baker (Desert Christian) vs. No. 4 Tim Schlum (Fountain Hills).  No. 2 Jarod Bristol (Pusch Ridge) vs. unseeded Kesin Dolwani (AZ College Prep). Bristol was third in singles in 2014.

DOUBLES -- No. 1 Cameron Vick and Christian Fetsis (Pusch Ridge) vs. No. 5 Zach Buell and Ethan Drummond (Desert Christian). No. 2 Ted McNally and Bryce Stockslager (Phoenix Country Day) vs. No. 3 Logan McMaster and Dallin Cook (Thatcher). Vick was runner-up in doubles in 2014 and third in doubles in 2013.

D-III GIRLS

SINGLES --  No. 5 and No. 6 seeds slipped into the semis. No. 1 Zoey Nelson (Estrella Foothills) vs. No. 5 Carli Merrill (Benson). No. 2 Neha Alety (Rancho Solando Prep) vs. No. 6 Celine Marin (Miami). Alety was singles runner-up in 2014. Nelson was third in singles in 2014.

DOUBLES --No. 1 Kseniya Ramras and Anya Ramras (Scottsdale Prep) vs. No. 5 Janine Fernando and Lauren Hanson (Sabino). No. 2 Jenny Fisher and Jena Serrano (Fountain Hills) vs. No. 3 Payton Cap and Angela Rivera (Florence). Kseniya Ramras was singles champ in 2014.