Girls tennis: Brunswick's win over Wadsworth comes down to first doubles

BRUNSWICK — Kate "Out" Staunton's biggest shot of the match was in. Well known for her loud out calls of opposing shots, Staunton hit a looping forehand return that landed on the alley line of the deuce court to give Brunswick a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5) first doubles victory over Wadsworth's Bailey Blum and Laney Ross on Thursday at Neura Park. More importantly, it gave the Blue Devils a 3-2 non-league win over the determined Grizzlies (5-11) and improved Brunswick's record to 9-6. "I had chills all over my body," said Ella Kaetzel, Staunton's doubles partner. "I just wanted to give her a big hug, I was so happy. There's no better feeling than winning." The intense and focused Staunton is in no way trying to show up opponents, but her out calls, even of balls that aren't remotely close, are so loud that Brunswick coach Kevin Naugle often warns opposing teams prior to matches. "I love her out calls," Kaetzel said. "Now I tend to do them, too. It gives us more power and energy." Brunswick took a quick 2-1 lead in the match behind continually improving first singles player Julianna Ulm, who downed Tessa Demiter 6-2, 6-0, and second singles player Alexis Markowski, who beat Brooke Pinkerton 6-0, 6-3. Wadsworth, however, got an impressive win at third singles, where Eden Kapusinski upended Ava Kish 6-1, 6-1, then tied the match when Alli Loose and Macey Milano downed Ashwika Ayyagari and Reese Meehan 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles. The latter match featured nine deuces in the final game before the Grizzlies finally got a break to finish it. That left it up to Staunton and Kaetzel to beat Blum and Ross, who normally play first and second singles for the Grizzlies. The Blue Devils won the first set but lost the second, setting up a marathon third. Brunswick jumped to a 4-1 lead and seemed to be in control, but Blum and Ross won three straight games to tie. The last four games featured service breaks, sending the match to a tiebreaker. Wadsworth jumped to a 4-0 lead in that, but Staunton and Kaetzel won seven of the last eight points. "I'm like, 'This is going to take a lot to get back in it,'" Kaetzel said of the early deficit. "I just needed to bring up my energy. I knew we could get back in it if we stayed together. "It was a lot of pressure and I was very nervous. I felt my heart beating the entire time." Markowski, who has made the jump to second singles after playing second doubles as a junior, had no such issues against Pinkerton, who normally plays first doubles with Demiter, who is the top player on Wadsworth's player rankings. "It was fun," Markowski said. "I like the competition. It's just fun to play because I love tennis. "I just keep rallying until they make a mistake. That's my game plan. I'm a pusher. I just keep rallying until I get the point." The highlight for Wadsworth was Kapusinski's impressive win. Normally a second doubles player — Thursday was the senior's first singles match of the season — Kapusinski displayed a lot of quickness and athletic ability while hitting solid groundstrokes throughout against Kish. "I tried to hit close to the baseline and angle my shots to the corners," she said. "I noticed that's what she was struggling to hit back." Kapusinski, who played a few singles matches as a sophomore and junior, was told Wednesday by coach John Hutchinson that she would be playing third singles against Brunswick. "I didn't want to," she said with a smile. "I was nervous, but my coach talked me through it. That helped my result today." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Brunswick 3, Wadsworth 2 Singles — Julianna Ulm (B) d. Tessa Demiter, 6-2, 6-0; Alexis Markowski (B) d. Brooke Pinkerton, 6-0, 6-3; Eden Kapusinski (W) d. Ava Kish, 6-0, 6-3. Doubles — Kate Staunton/Ella Kaetzel (B) d. 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5); Alli Loose/Macey Milano (W) d. Ashwika Ayyagari/Reese Meehan, 6-4, 6-4. Records — Wadsworth (5-11), Brunswick (9-6).