Jackets beat Tigers, fall to Rangers in 7AA Team tourney
Senior Nick Reiners teamed with Sam Renier for a win at No. 1 Doubles against Forest Lake.
Top-seed and 12th-ranked Forest Lake held tough for a 6-1 win over Cambridge-Isanti in the second round of the 7AA South Subsection Team tourney May 24. The loss ended the Bluejackets’ team portion of the 2011 season with a 10-5 record.
C-I’s team point came from Nick Reiners and Sam Renier prevailing 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 Doubles. At No. 2 Doubles, Matt Olson and Nate Henderson split sets before dropping a 10-6 super tie-break. The Rangers’ vaunted Singles line-up swept two-set matches.
“We needed to sweep the Doubles and battle out a low Singles point. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get past their depth of talent,” said C-I Coach Thea Lowman. “We played them tough and left the courts knowing that we challenged them, making them earn each team point.”
The Rangers and No. 2 seed Chisago Lakes (5-2 over Andover) both advance to the 7AA Team final four May 30 at Hibbing, with Hibbing and Duluth East reaching out of the 7AA North Subsection.
Junior Marshall White serving during his two-set win against Princeton.
C-I 5, Princeton 2
The Bluejackets opened the playoffs with a home win over the Tigers May 23. Winning at Doubles were Josiah Sherry & Sam Renier (6-3, 6-3), and Matt Olson & Nate Henderson (6-4, 7-5), with the Tiger No. 3 winning 6-4, 6-3.
Princeton’s Isaiah Mayerchak won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 Singles, but the Jackets rolled through the rest of those matches: Marshall White 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2, Mike White 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3, and Brandon Simon 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4.
Regular-season closers
The Bluejackets split their final matches of the regular season, falling to Chisago Lakes 6-1 May 18 then sweeping North Branch 7-0 May 19. Sweeping Singles matches were Mike White (6-3, 6-0), Josiah Sherry (7-5, 7-5), Brandon Simon (6-2, 6-2) and Ryan Hoxmeier (7-6, 6-0).
• The Bluejackets will next send four entries into the 7AA South Singles & Doubles tourney, coming May 26 at St. Francis. Winners of two matches advance to the 7AA quarterfinals at Hibbing June 1.
