Team semifinals on tap for Friday
By Raymundo Frasquillo
GLENDALE – The No. 1 Mark Tichnor-coached Scottsdale Cicero Prep (13-0 seeding, 21.2953 rating) meets the No. 5 Andy Fetsis-coached Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (11-2, 14.4883) at 1 p.m., and the No. 2 Kenneth Sandoval-coached Yuma Catholic (12-0, 192486) draws the No. 3 Stanley Palmer-coached Flagstaff Northland Prep (9-0, 15.9449) at 2 p.m. It is for the Division III state tourney semifinals at the Glendale Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 West Thunderbird Road, on Friday, May 9. The winners meet for the championship at 11 a.m. on May 10.
The four semifinalist each have 2-0 records in the state meet, Cicero Prep 6-0 over in the quarterfinals over and over No. 16 Tucson’s The Gregory School in the first round on April 29 and 5-4 over No. 9 Gilbert Christian in the quarterfinals on May 6; Pusch Ridge 5-2 over Avondale Saint John Paul II in the first round and 5-1 over No. 8 Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills in the first round and 5-1 over No. 4 Phoenix Country Day in the quarterfinals; Yuma Catholic 5-0 over No. 15 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin and 5-3 over No. 2 Thatcher in the quarterfinals; and Northland Prep 6-0 over No. 14 Tucson Tanque Verde in the first round and 5-1 over No. 6 Scottsdale Prep in the quarterfinals.
Division III State Tourney Quarterfinals
Four teams will compete as semifinalists for the Division III state tourney after quarterfinal wins on May 6.
The upper bracket had No. 1 Scottsdale Cicero Prep 5-4 over No. 9 Gilbert Christian (10-2, 8.7328) and No. 5 Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian 5-1 over No. 4 Phoenix Country Day School (9-2, 14.5075).
It was No. 3 Flagstaff Northland Prep 5-1 over No. 6 Scottsdale Prep (12-2, 14.3732) and No. 2 Yuma Catholic 5-3 over No. 7 Thatcher (12-2 seeding, 10.6275 rating) in the lower bracket.
Quarterfinals, May 6
Pusch Ridge – 5, Phoenix Country Day – 1
The No. 5 Lions upset the higher seed No. 4 Eagles during five of six singles, as senior Estelle Fetsis, freshman Taryn Martin, junior Melaney Johnson, junior Brady Imes, and sophomore Noelle Sunikjian posted wins over junior Zara Campbell (6-2, 6-0), senior Sophie Valente (6-3, 6-2), senior Lauren Russo (6-1 twice), junior Lexi Black (6-1, 7-6), and sophomore Tara Ghafouri (6-0 twice), respectively.
For Phoenix Country Day, freshman Mary Bartolino downed junior Pearl Kulvatonyou (6-2 twice).
Cicero Prep – 5, Gilbert Christian – 4
The top-ranked Centurions slipped past the No. 9 Knights 5-4, needing to play all three doubles matches after splitting the singles at three wins apiece.
Cicero Prep had No. 1 junior Hailey Bostwick, No. 2 junior Bianca Carbone, and No. 3 sophomore Bryn Hermenanu defeat senior Megan Russell (6-2, 6-1), sophomore Lauren Kheshvadjian (6-2, 6-3), and Kendall Hayes (6-0).
Gilbert Christian had No. 4 senior Hailey Fincher, No. 5 junior Sophia Kiesow, and No. 6 junior Kirby Bogen down junior Jessica Reitler (6-4 twice), senior Marin Fitzgerald (6-2 twice), and senior Olivia Heiman (6-1 twice).
In doubles, the Centurions’ No. 1 Carbone – Hermenanu and the No. 2 Bostwick – Reitler overcame Russell – Hayes 8-0 and Fincher, No. 5 junior Sophia Kiesow 8-2.
The Gilbert Christian No. 3 duo of Kheshvadjian – Bogen topped Fitzgerald – freshman Mirabella Bucks 8-0.
Northland Prep – 5, Scottsdale Prep – 1
The host No. 3 Spartans took five of six singles pairings from the visiting No. 6 Spartans, with sophomore Grace Kim over junior Noell Oh (6-3 twice), senior Amelia Raab over senior Nadine Clerici (6-2, 7-5), sophomore Grace Daab over senior Gabriella Clerici (7-5, 6-2), sophomore Sophia Shenyderman over junior Kate Guymon (6-1, 6-0), and sophomore Kylie Cook over junior Katelyn Ruyle (6-0, 6-2).
For Scottsdale Prep, sophomore Maya Hamer defeated senior Akiko Palmer (6-3, 6-2).
Yuma Catholic – 5, Thatcher – 3
The host No. 2 Shamrocks prevailed during four of six singles and two doubles to eliminate No. 7 Thatcher and advance to the next round. A third doubles match was unnecessary.
Senior Grace Lanning, junior Annie Scarborough, sophomore Abigail Olsen, and sophomore Chloe Dammeyer defeated sophomore Sophia Haynie (6-1, 6-3), senior Kala Turley (3-6, 6-1, 10-5), senior Emily Sampson (7-4, 6-3), and senior Cambria Wakefield (6-4 twice), respectively.
In doubles, Scarbourogh – Lanning bested Haynie – Emily Sampson 8-4.
For Thatcher, senior Audrey Smith and sophomore Sarah Sampson downed sophomore Claire Olsen (7-5, 6-2) and freshman Paloma Smith (6-1, 6-3) respectively. The Wakefield – Sarah Sampson duo topped Smith – Dammeyer 8-5.
Round 1, April 29
Pusch Ridge – 5, Saint John Paul II 2
The host No. 2 Lions captured four of six singles plus a doubles, as No. 1 Estelle Fetsis, No. 2 Taryn Martin, No. 5 Brady Imes, No. 6 Noelle Sunikjian, and the No. 1 Fetsis – Martin duo posted wins over freshman Ania Piatek (6-1, 6-2), senior Natalia Piatek (6-4, 6-1), sophomore Chantelle Gleaves (6-3, 6-0), junior Eva Wohler (6-0 twice), and the Ania Piatek – freshman Gominika Grabiec duo (8-1).
For the No. 12 Lions, No. 3 Grabiec downed sophomore Micaela Nagel (6-2, 6-3) and No. 4 sophomore Izabella Frankowski downed junior Melaney Johnson (6-3, 6-0).
Cicero Prep – 6, The Gregory School – 0
The No. 1 Centurians sshut out the No. 16 Hawks 6-0, Hailey Bostwick, Bianca Carbone, Bryn Hermenanu, Jessica Reitler, Marin Fitzgerald, and senior Olivia Heiman defeated junior Ellie Sundt (6-0 twice), sophomore Layla Lizon (6-0 twice), senior Dalia Cohen (6-0 twice), senior Avery Johnson (6-1, 6-0), junior Kaylee Henderson (6-1, 6-2), and junior Amanda Piper (6-1 twice).
Northland Prep – 6, Tanque Verde – 0
The host No. 3 Spartans took five singles and a doubles pairing from the visiting No. 14 Hawks, with Grace Kim over sophomore Brianna Mildebrandt (6-4, 6-0), Amelia Raab over sophomore Jeannnie McCallum (6-1, 6-2), Grace Daab over freshman Mally McCallum (7-6, 6-4), Akiko Palmer over freshman Sophia Pena (7-5, 6-2), and Sophia Shneyderman over junior Brooklyn Johnson (6-1 twice.
In doubles, Pena McCallum defeated Kim – Palmer 8-1.
Yuma Catholic – 5, Benjamin Franklin -0
The No. 2 Shamrocks had wins by senior Grace Lanning, 2-0 (6-3 twice) over junior Isa Monastero; junior Annie Scarborough, 2-0 (6-1 twice) over junior Leah Buchanan; sophomore Claire Olsen, 2-0 (6-4, 6-2) over senior Karalee Sanders; sophomore Chloe Dammeyer, 2-0 (6-1, 6-3) over senior Maddie Earl; and freshman Paloma Smith, 2-0 (6-2, 6-3) over senior Leila Tanner.
Sophomore Abigail Olsen’s pairing with freshman Gia Monastero did not need to be completed.
Division III State Tourney Round 1
Eight teams advanced to the Division III state quarterfinals on May 6, following wins in the first round on April 29.
Upper bracket pairings winners were No. 1 Scottsdale Cicero Prep 6-0 over No. 16 Tucson’s The Gregory School (7-3, 4.0906), No. 9 Gilbert Christian 5-1 over No. 8 Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills (7-3, 8.8729), No. 5 Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian 5-2 over No. 12 Avondale Saint John Paul II Catholic (10-4, 7.4009), and No. 4 Phoenix Country Day School 5-0 over No. 13 Duncan (11-1, 5.3238).
The lower bracket had No. 3 Flagstaff Northland Prep 6-0 over No. 14 Tucson Tanque Verde (9-4, 6.6678), No. 7 Thatcher 5-0 over No. 10 Chandler Prep (11-4, 8.2007), No. 6 Scottsdale Prep 5-3 over No. 11 Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep (9-4, 7.8200), and No. 2 Yuma Catholic 5-0 over No. 15 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (9-5, 5.5300).
Division III Final rankings
The final rankings for the Division III Top 16 of 52 teams on April 24 were No. 1 Scottsdale Cicero Prep (13-0 seeding, 21.2953 rating), No. 2 Yuma Catholic (12-0, 19.2486), No. 3 Flagstaff Northland Prep (9-0, 15.9449), No. 4 Phoenix Country Day School (9-2, 14.5075), No. 5 Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (11-2, 14.4883), No. 6 Scottsdale Prep (12-2, 14.3732), No. 7 Thatcher (12-2 seeding, 10.6275 rating), and No. 8 Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills (7-3, 8.8729).
Gilbert Christian (10-2, 8.7328) was No. 9, Chandler Prep (11-4, 8.2007) No. 10, Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep (9-4, 7.8200) No. 11, Avondale Saint John Paul II Catholic (10-4, 7.4009) No. 12, Duncan (11-1, 5.3238) No. 13, Tucson Tanque Verde (9-4, 6.6678) No. 14, Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (9-5, 5.5300) No. 15, and Tucson’s The Gregory School (7-3, 4.0906) No. 16.
Rankings for the other seven Section I teams were No. 19 for Safford (9-5, 1.5410), No. 29 for Pima (6-5, minus 2.9320), No. 32 for Miami (5-6, minus 4.7496), No. 35 for Willcox (4-7, minus 7.6101), No. 39 for Benson (5-9, minus 9.3517), No. 42 for Morenci (2-10, minus 10.5162), and No. 46 for Globe (0-10, minus 15.4808).
Division III Individual State Tourneys
The individual state tourneys had 14 Section I student-athletes for the first round on May 2. The Glendale Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 W. Thunderbird Rd., is the site. Singles matches start at 1 p.m. and the doubles at 2:30 p.m. The doubles teams numbered two from Thatcher and Safford, both had two doubles teams, and both Duncan and Miami had one each. In singles, entrants numbered two from Thatcher. The Eagles went 3-2, the Wildkats 1-1, the Bulldogs 0-2, and the Vandals 0-1 in doubles.
Sixth-ranked junior Sophia Haynie – senior Emily Sampson (12-2) defeated Desert Christian juniors Alondra Jimenez – Kate Steckler (7-1) in two sets (6-2, 6-1) during the first round on May 2, Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills senior Marie Tenney – freshman Tayte Eastman (4-3) in two sets (6-2, 6-1) during the second round on May 2, Chandler Prep junior Elise Yeung – freshman Assa Ndiour (8-3) in a tie-breaker 10-7 after splits sets (4-6, 6-1) during the quarterfinals on May 3, and bowed out via a two-set (1-6, 5-7) semifinal loss to Scottsdale Cicero Prep junior Bianca Carbone – sophomore Bryn Hermenanu (9- 0).
Duncan seniors Emily Kempton – Camille Miller (13-1) advanced via a 10-7 tie-breaker following a split (6-3, 2-6) over Thatcher seniors Kala Turley – Audrey Smith (12-1) during the first round, and bowed out with a two-set (1-6, 3-6) loss to Phoenix Country Day junior Zara Campbell – freshman Mary Bartolino during the second round.
The other Section I doubles teams bowed out in the first round. Safford senior Charlotte Graham – junior Phoebe Tarnutzer (4-0) fell in two sets (1-6, 0–6) to fifth-ranked Flagstaff Northland Prep senior Amelia Raab – sophomore Grace Daab (4-1), Safford senior Alexis Neal – sophomore Iris Green (6-1) in two sets (3-6, 1-6) to Tanque Verde sophomore Jeanie McCallum – freshman Mally McCallum (4-0), and Miami juniors Adrina Kaulaity – Daisy Pacheco (6-4) in two sets (3-6, 2-6) to Yuma Catholic sophomore Chloe Dammeyer – freshman Paloma Smith (10-0).
Top-ranked Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian senior Estelle Festis and freshman Taryn Martin met No. 2 Scottsdale Cicero Prep Carbone-Hermananu for the championship on May 5. Carbone – Hermenanu won the tie-breaker 10-0 after splitting sets (4-6, 6-3), and the 2025 title. It was the second doubles championship for Fetsis, teaming up with Emma Bartruff as No. 2 over a No. 1 Scottsdale Prep duo for a 7-5 and 6-0 win last season.
In singles, Thatcher sophomore Sarah Sampson (12-0, 23-0 sets) eliminated Gilbert Christian sophomore Lauren Kheshvadjian (8-1, 16-2 sets) 7-6 (2) and 6-4 during the first round before falling in two sets (0-6 twice) to top ranked Scottsdale Prep Noelle Oh (14-0, 27-2 in sets) during the second round.
Thatcher senior Cambria Wakefield (14-0, 26-0 sets) fell in two sets (0-6, 2-6) to second-ranked Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep freshman Maya Litt (10-2, 21-5 sets) during the first round.
The Top 8 ranked singles players advanced to the quarterfinals on May 3, with the Top 2 meeting for the championship on May 5. Second-ranked Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep freshman Maya Litt defeated No. 1 Scottsdale Prep junior Noelle Oh in two sets (6-2, 6-4) for the title. Mitt was the 2024 state champion.
