Islanders earn three seeds for state tennis tournament

Each of Grand Island Senior High's seeded entries for the Class A State Tournament comes with an interesting story.

And the Islanders wouldn't mind adding some stories about collecting medals during the two-day tournament which begins Thursday at the Koch Family Tennis Center in Omaha.

Grand Island's highest seed is the No. 2 doubles team of senior Ashley Wiedel and freshman Jenna Helleberg. Their 16-2 overall record earned them a second seed.

"I cut Ashley Wiedel as a freshman," Islander co-coach Nancy Cowgill said. "She and four other girls begged me to keep them. They said they'd work hard every day and do extra drills. Now here she's a senior and a two seed at two doubles."

Wiedel filled in at state as a sophomore but didn't make the varsity roster last year. Now she returns with a freshman partner on a team that wasn't initially in the Islanders' plans.

"Jenna Helleberg is a freshman on a team with five seniors," Cowgill said. "She got the spot when Sara Petska got injured. Both (Wiedel and Helleberg) took advantage of opportunities.

"They're (Heartland Athletic Conference) champions and I hope they come ready to play."

The duo's only losses have come to top-seeded and undefeated Caroline Nelsen and Kara Schuele of Omaha Marian.

The No. 1 doubles team of Sharon Zach and Alicia Wheeler are 16-3 and the fourth seed. They've surprised all season long.

"Our goal is to get to day two," Cowgill said. "Hopefully they play well. They got second at conference."

If seeds hold, the Islanders would face Fremont in the quarterfinals, "a dangerous team," Cowgill said.

The singles divisions held some disappointment for Grand Island. Brigette Root (19-2) received a fifth seed at No. 2, lower than the team had hoped for.

"We got some unfriendly seeds, so we'll try to battle and prove that we're better than the fifth seed," Cowgill said. "Hopefully Brigette is fired up by the seed and wants to prove that she's better than that. She's driven by challenges."

Root could face Omaha Marian's MaryPat Beaufait in the quarterfinals. They've split two matches this year, with Beaufait handing Root her only loss at No. 2 singles this season.

Unseeded Kelsie Olson received a tough draw at No. 1 singles. She'll face Fremont's Mariel Groh, who Cowgill said was in contention for the eighth seed along with Olson.

"They're hooked up in the first round, so that's one of us who will get no points at one singles," Cowgill said. "You can't complain - it's the luck of the draw."

Olson has beaten Groh in the past, but Groh has won the last few meetings.

"It's amazing the improvement (Olson) has made this year," Cowgill said. "She's done a great job."

Grand Island will wait and see how it ends up in the team race.

"We hoped to finish in the top five at state," Cowgill said. "Sometimes the draw is not friendly to make that happen. That's not to make excuses. It is all so subjective to the draw.

"I know the kids will compete hard. Hopefully they will not get nervous and hopefully we have a happy ending to a great season."

Class A Seeds

No. 1 Singles

1, Brooke Urzendowski, Omaha Marian (25-0); 2, Karma-Jaya Parbhu, Millard North (19-2); 3, Alexandra Schelble, Millard West (22-6); 4, Alexandria Tran, Omaha Central (10-2); 5, Lindsay Weideman, Omaha Burke (16-7); 6, McRae Bell, Lincoln Southwest (16-7); 7, Lauren Higgins, Omaha Westside (11-8); 8, Stephanie Mannix, Lincoln East (18-6).

No. 2 Singles

1, Michaela Burroughs, Millard North (18-3); 2, Diana Dobey, 12 Millard West (18-10); 3, Alison Slosburg, Omaha Westside (18-4); 4, MaryPat Beaufait, Omaha Marian (18-3); 5, Brigette Root, Grand Island (19-2); 6, Micah Goodwin, North Platte (23-7); 7, Ashley Meyers, Columbus (12-5); 8, Caitlin Christy, Bellevue West (13-6).

No. 1 Doubles

1, Anna Kirshenbaum/Kathleen Schuele, Omaha Marian (20-0); 2, Breanna Keller/Lauren Keller, Omaha Westside (21-3); 3, Karlee Long /Julia Otte, Lincoln Southeast (12-3); 4, Sharon Zach/Alicia Wheeler, Grand Island (16-3); 5, Erica Dickmeyer /Halie Wewel, Fremont (13-6); 6, Ashley Janssen/Kinsley Fisher, Lincoln Southwest (19-5); 7, Samantha Kenik/Carly Pohlman, Millard South (8-8); 8, Karoline Hovorka/Elizabeth Mason, Millard West (19-7).

No. 2 Doubles

1, Caroline Nelsen/Kara Schuele, Omaha Marian (18-0); 2, Ashley Wiedel/Jenna Helleberg, Grand Island (13-2); 3, Megan Robertson/Jessica Spalding, Fremont (17-2); 4, Michelle Major/Tiffany Gerdes, Omaha Westside (13-4); 5, Sally Ingham /Kylie Klockenga, Lincoln Southwest (18-4); 6, Claire Seger/Kelsey Bigando, Omaha Burke (15-8); 7, Rebecca Dailey/Myhiah Dotzler, Bellevue West (9-3); 8, Sarah Pieper/Meredith Starr, Millard West (14-9).



E-mail Dale Miller