USTA Northern - News - Edina and Mounds Park Academy Win Minnesota State Team Championships

Edina and Mounds Park Academy Win Minnesota State Team Championships

Edina won its 13th consecutive Minnesota State High School Class AA Team Championship at Baseline Tennis Center, while Mounds Park Academy won its second title in three years in the Class A division at the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis.

Edina defeated Elk River in the championship match 6-1. Adele Henke, Caroline Ward and Mollie Meldahl lost only four games in three singles matches and Edina won all three doubles positions in straight sets. Elk River's lone victory came at No. 1 singles, where Katie Jesperson rallied from a 4-0 first-set deficit to beat Meghana Vasireddy 7-5, 6-3. Edina has now won 248 of its last 249 matches.

In Class A, Mounds Park Academy used its dominating singles lineup to easily defeat surprise finalist Waseca 6-1. Waseca had upset defending champion and perennial power Rochester Lourdes in the semifinals. MPA’s Taylor Washington, Amber Washington and Brenna Kelly all won in straight sets, losing only two games total between the three of them. Waseca’s only win came at the fourth singles position where Taylor Nelson defeated Christa Kootz 6-1, 6-4.

Minnetonka’s Aria Lambert won her second straight Class AA singles championship, losing only 14 games the entire tournament. Lambert opened the tournament with perhaps her toughest opponent defeating Rochester Mayo’s Emelie Renault 6-2, 6-2. She then closed out her second championship with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Rochester Century’s Kelsey Frechette. Lambert is undefeated her last two seasons, last losing in the 2007 state tournament finals in a three-set classic against current Gophers star Nitooli Wikins of Burnsville.

In Class A, Providence Academy’s Elena Sullivan won her first Class A championship with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Courtney Rust of Rochester Lourdes. Sullivan had lost to MPA’s Taylor Washington in the Section finals, but Rust had upset Washington in the semifinals, opening the door for Sullivan to claim the championship.

Eden Prairie’s Makenna Borg and Maddie Buxton won their first Class AA doubles championship. Borg played against Lambert in the singles final in 2008, but decided to play doubles with Buxton this year. Borg and Buxton defeated Mary Ellen Donovan and Jory Kirscher of Rochester Century 6-1, 6-4.

In Class A, Amber Washington won her fourth consecutive Class A doubles championship as she and partner Kate Roach defeated Emily Alper and Sunny Tang of Breck 6-1, 6-3 in the finals.