Familiarity and friendship worked to their advantage as the Chaminade Julienne seniors won the Division II sectional doubles title Saturday at Centerville High School with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Olivia Shrager and Janine Quigley of the Miami Valley School. Both Boch and Bice were excited to share the court again after playing first and second singles, respectively, for the Eagles all season.
“This is our last chance to make it to state and we felt like we had a better chance of doing it together,” Bice said.
The Eagles duo played first doubles when they were sophomores so they are familiar with each other’s game.
“It’s like a silent communication we have,” Boch said.
The now-or-never urgency of their senior season adds to the pressure, so sharing the load and the court has helped.
“We know how much it means to each other, so I think we’re trying to win as much for each other as we are for ourselves,” Bice said.
The Eagles went into the sectional tournament as the top seeds and head into the district in the same coveted No. 1 position.
Springboro sweep: Springboro clinched a pair of sectional titles as sisters Anke and Reka Patel won the D-I doubles title — topping Bellbrook's Andrea Szep and Shea Foster — and Ally Garofoli battled to a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Mikenzie Hindenlang, of Miamisburg, to take the singles title.
While the Patel sisters were the top seeds heading into the sectional, Garofoli was a third seed — Hindenlang was the top seed.
“I think I had something to prove,” Garofoli said.
With the match tied at one set apiece, the Springboro senior had the momentum early in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. But Hindenlang was not about to back down, knotting it up at 5-5. Despite being on the court for more than two hours, Garofoli fought on to take the set 7-5.
“I think it was about being consistent and mentally tough the whole time,” she said.
One for the books: Preble Shawnee senior Ashlyn Hubbard made history with a third-place D-II sectional finish. The Arrows No. 1 singles player topped CJ's Lanie Sorg, 6-3, 7-5, becoming what she and her coach believe to be the first Preble Shawnee girls tennis player to qualify to the district tournament.
“It’s a great feeling seeing your hard work pay off,” Hubbard said.
Firebirds finale: A season of doubles play paid off for Fairmont's Hannah Jones and Jamie Pacenta. The Firebirds seniors earned their first district berth in their final high school season with a fourth-place D-I doubles finish. Beavercreek's Vania Jiao and Esther Hu — also seniors — battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win over the unseeded Firebirds team to capture third place.
About the Author