By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
MADISON – De Pere No. 1 singles player Norah Balthazor advanced to the semifinals of the WIAA Individual State Tennis Tournament at Nielsen Stadium in Madison Oct. 17-19.
In the semis, Balthazor raced out of the gates in capturing the first set against No. 1-seed Jordan Schifano (32-1) from Divine Savior Holy Angels.
Schifano easily took set the second set before the two engaged in a final-set battle.
Schifano grabbed a 3-0 lead before Balthazor captured five of the next six games to forge in front, 5-4.
In the end, it was Schifano who won the final three games and the match.
Balthazor came back and lost in the third-place match against No. 2 Natalie Yang of Homestead, finishing her junior season in fourth place.
“Norah has an unbelievable work ethic, and her year-round practice habits paid off in her deep tournament run,” said De Pere head coach Dave Reinardy. “The semifinal match she played against the eventual state champ was a clinic in power, control, finesse and tactics.”
Marisa Marohl (Ashwaubenon), Jaci Brady (Notre Dame Academy) and Bella Bigari (De Pere) all won their first-round matches in super tiebreakers which took over two hours to complete.
Area doubles winners included Kennedy Conradt/Maddy Coopmans (Ashwaubenon), Allison Roever/Julia Tackmier (Green Bay Southwest) and Caragan Olles/Rachel Van Hefty (Notre Dame).
WIAA Individual State Division 1 results
Round 1 singles: Nora Balthazor (De Pere) bye; Bella Bigari (De Pere) def. Miller (Badger), 2-6, 6-2, 10-5; Jaci Brady (Notre Dame) def. Grace Wellhouse (Appleton North), 6-7, 7-6, 10-8; Marisa Marohl (Ashwaubenon) def. Lauren Hope Bruemmer (Sun Prairie), 7-5, 3-6, 10-7.
Round 2: Balthazor def. Bigari, 6-1, 6-3; Hailey Munz (Monona Grove) def. Brady, 6-1, 6-0; Zaya Iderzul (Badger) def. Marohl, 6-0, 6-1.
Round 3: Balthazor def. Munz, 6-0, 7-5.
Quarterfinals: Balthazor def. Lauren Landstrom (New Berlin Eisenhower), 6-2, 6-3.
Semifinals: Jordan Schifano def. Balthazor, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
Third place: Natalie Yang def. Balthazor, 7-6, 7-6.
Round 1 doubles: Allison Roever/Julia Tackmier (Green Bay Southwest) def. Kenna Beth/Paige Wysiatko (Westosha Central), 7-6, 3-6, 10-3; Delanie Dahm/Lauren Schraufnagel (DSHA) def. Tristyn Lueck/Audrey Ochsner (De Pere), 4-6, 6-4, 10-5; Jessi Lambo/Kacie O’Hearn (Slinger) def. Courtney Behnke/Delaney Christensen (Ashwaubenon), 6-2, 6-1; Caragan Olles/Rachel Van Hefty (Notre Dame) def. Leah Olsen/Allison Rust (Stevens Point), 6-3, 6-4; Kennedy Conradt/Maddy Coopmans (Ashwaubenon) def. Julia Nick/Natalie Harvey (Eau Claire Memorial), 7-6, 6-1.
Round 2: Meridith Maginot/Anna Long (Arrowhead) def. Roever/Tackmier, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Sophia Dekker/Madelyn Dziubek (Franklin) def. Olles/Van Hefty, 6-3, 7-5; Faith Leithold/Chloe Leithold (Onalaska) def. Conradt/Coopmans, 6-4, 6-3.