Onward and upward for Eagles

Sauk Prairie’s girls tennis team had three players advance through the WIAA Badger Subsectional Monday. Senior Olivia Joyce, who plays No. 3 singles, along with the Eagles’ No. 3 doubles team of junior Faith Holler and freshman Ava Andres all advanced to the Oconomowoc Sectional, which will be held Wednesday. “Overall, we were happy to have been given the opportunity to play in a tournament at the end of the season,” Eagles coach Heather Slosarek said. “It was well-managed and sought to keep our players safe.   “While several seniors ended their seasons today, they all left it out on the court. We look forward to cheering on our three players advancing to sectionals on Wednesday.” Joyce opened with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Waunakee’s Julia Zabel — a player she had lost to earlier this year. In the second round, Joyce cruised past Badger’s Lauren Haas — another seeded player — 6-3, 6-1. “Olivia Joyce, was on her game today more than any other day this season,” Slosarek said. “I was so proud of OJ’s level-headed approach to the matches.  “She did not let the seeded players phase her one bit. She believed in her skills and ability, she was dialed in to all of her shots, and she demonstrated what it takes to rise to challenge. Outstanding!” At No. 3 doubles, Andres and Holler opened with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Reedsburg’s Halle Hahn and Ashley Crary. Andres and Holler then rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3) win over Jessica Cotturone and Makena Wisniewski of Mukwonago. “Faith Holler and Ava Andres, in their typical fashion, sought to give their coaches unneeded gray hair,” Slosarek joked. “They had a slow start to their first match vs. Reedsburg. However, they found their rhythm in the second set and won out. “As they started their second-round matchup versus Mukwonago, they again had a slow start with a few unforced errors that lost them a tight first set. They rallied back, though. These girls showed their athleticism, ability to put bad games/points behind them, and rally for the win! Never count them out!” At No. 1 singles, Sauk Prairie’s Taylor Haas fell to DeForest’s Samantha Fuchs, 6-1, 6-0. “While her opponent displayed her high level of skill in the match, Taylor kept battling until the last point — winning one game and challenging her opponent in deuce multiple times throughout the match,” Slosarek said of Haas. “Taylor had some big shoes to fill this year, showed leadership as one of our captains, and she did a great job.” At No. 2 singles, Sauk Prairie’s Anna Ballweg fell to DeForest’s Lauren Armstrong, 6-4, 6-3. “As in their first matchup in Sauk Prairie, Anna brought her entire arsenal of shots to the court, battling through every point and keeping the match extremely competitive,” Slosarek said of Ballweg. “While Armstrong’s consistency won out, Anna’s ability to build on her strengths, never let off the gas, and battle through every point made it another great match to watch.” And at No. 4 singles, Sauk Prairie’s Devin O’Connor lost a heartbreaker to Waunakee’s Claire Borgelt, 6-4, 7-6 (7). “Devin O’Connor battled until the end against seeded player from Waunakee,” Slosarek said. “Among all of the players on the team, Devin has shown the most growth in developing her mental game and using her variety of shots to keep each match competitive.   “Unfortunately, her opponent played like a typical No. 4 singles player, just blocking shots back and keeping the ball in play. We look forward to seeing how Devin will use this year of learning as a catapult into next season.” At No. 1 doubles, Elkhorn’s Sophia Timmer and Jamie Trost defeated Sauk Prairie’s Hannah Helt and Camdyn Kastelitz in the first round, 7-6 (8), 6-4. “After several questionable calls on critical points by their opponents, their game lost a little momentum,” Slosarek said of Helt and Kastelitz. “I believe the wind factored into throwing off their normally more consistent service games, which unfortunately left them having to adjust their play throughout the match. These two ladies have done an incredible job serving as our other two captains this year, and I appreciated their effort.” At No. 2 doubles, Naomi Breunig and Cassie Ziegler defeated Waterford’s Audrey Morgan and Madison Krueger, 6-0, 6-2, in the first round. In the second round, though, Mukwonago’s Olivia Sween and Brooke Rydeski defeated Ziegler and Breunig, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. “Naomi Breunig and Cassie Ziegler had a good day of tennis,” Slosarek said. “They handily won their first match vs. Waterford, shooting them into the second round matchup vs. Mukwonago.   “After an easy first set win in the second round, we started losing a bit of our stride. The wind started gusting more, which served as a challenge for our service games. While we took the match to a third set, a few long games just did not fall our way.   “This team went out with only one loss on their record! They have been a force in our conference play, and they should be proud of what they accomplished this year.”   Oct. 5 WIAA BADGER SUBSECTIONAL Mukwonago 20, Waunakee 18, Badger 18, Sauk Prairie 10, DeForest 4, Elkhorn 4, Reedsburg 0, Waterford 0. SINGLES Round 1 No. 1 — Samantha Fuchs, DeForest, def. Taylor Haas, Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-0.  No. 2 — Lauren Armstrong, DeForest, def. Anna Ballweg, Sauk Prairie, 6-4, 6-3. No. 3 — Olivia Joyce, Sauk Prairie, def. Julia Zabel, Waunakee, 6-3, 6-3. No. 4 — Claire Borgelt, Waunakee, def. Devin O’Connor, Sauk Prairie, 6-4, 7-6 (7). Round 2 No. 3 — Olivia Joyce, Sauk Prairie, def. Lauren Haas, Badger, 6-3, 6-1. DOUBLES Round 1 No. 1 — Sophia Timmer-Jamie Trost, Elkhorn, def. Hannah Helt-Camdyn Kastelitz, Sauk Prairie, 7-6 (8), 6-4. No. 2 — Naomi Breunig-Cassie Ziegler, Sauk Prairie, def. Audrey Morgan-Madison Krueger, Waterford, 6-0, 6-2. No. 3 - Ava Andres-Faith Holler, Sauk Prairie, def. Halle Hahn-Ashley Crary, Reedsburg, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Round 2 No. 2 — Olivia Sween-Brooke Rydeski, Mukwonago, def. Cassie Ziegler-Naomi Breunig, Sauk Prairie, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. No. 3 — Ava Andres-Faith Holler, Sauk Prairie, def. Jessica Cotturone-Makena Wisniewski, Mukwonago, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3).