NEGAUNEE — Escanaba and Negaunee girls tennis were neck and neck in 2023. In fact, the teams tied for the D1 UP State Championship.
However, Negaunee has regained control in 2024. It was a tough day for the Eskimos, who lost 7-1 to the Miners on Monday.
In a tightly contested match at No. 1 singles, Negaunee’s Aubrey Johnson had a tough fight, beating Escanaba senior Maggie Martin 7-6 (2), 6-4.
“I’m pleased with the effort we put in.” “It’s a great feeling,” Escanaba coach Chris Ogren said. “Maggie pulled off a stunning comeback victory after trailing 1-4 in the first set.”
Martin lost the first set in a tiebreaker and trailed in the second set at 4-4 before ultimately losing 4-6.
“Aubrey is a great player with a lot of experience.” Ogren said. “It was great to see Maggie play well against a player like her.”
The best match of the day for the Eskimos came at No. 4 singles, where Escanaba senior Reagan Dubord defeated Negaunee’s Addie Champman 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
“It meant a lot to us today to have a senior at No. 4 singles.” Ogren said. “She has played tennis at Escanaba for four years and her experience and poise really showed in today’s rollercoaster win.”
Escanaba tennis will be back in action at 10 a.m. today hosting the Great Northern Conference Tournament.
single
No. 1 Johnson, N def. M, Martin 7-6(2), 6-4; No. 2 Sanders, N def. Korpi 6-3, 6-3. No. 3 Nelson, N def. Hill 6-0, 6-1. No. 4 Dubor, E def. Chapman 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Doubles
No. 1 Schultz-Peters, N beat A. Martin-Maki 6-1, 6-4. No. 2 Ring-Bolas, N beat Hughes-Smale 6-2, 6-4. No. 3 Kerkela-Brunette, N beat Hackelman-Elliott 6-3, 6-2. No. 4 Wills-Palo-Maki, N beat Cady-Milon 6-2, 6-1.