District tennis: Highland duo finishes second

BATH TWP. — The Highland tennnis team's tandem of Lily Hantz and Claire Schlak turned an opening into an opportunity. Having lost the first set and facing a 4-1 deficit in the second, Hantz and Schlak flipped the script against Magnificat's Elizabeth Ammori and Adriana Guillermo by rattling off 12 of the next 16 games to win their Springside Division I District semifinal doubles match 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. The Highland duo finished second after losing to Massillon Perry's Haylee Fearon and Makenzie Fearon 6-0, 6-1 in the final. They will take a No. 2 seed into the Division I state tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason on Thursday and Friday. "It feels really good," said Schlak, who also qualified in doubles last year with Ally Haynes. "We worked really hard for this, so it's nice that it paid off. We were just thinking one point at a time and don't give up." Highland's semifinal may have been the match of the day. It lasted 2½ hours and featured three games that lasted at least 18 points. However, it didn't look like the match was going to last very long with Magnificat jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first set, capped by an epic 28-point hold on Ammori's first service game. Each team had six game points, but it was the Blue Streaks who finally converted on a backhand volley winner from Guillermo, a Medina Township resident. The Blue Streaks appeared to be headed to the final leading 4-1 with a pair of breaks to open the second set. The Hornets, however, responded with four straight games to go up 5-4 on serve. Guillermo held, but Highland won the final two, capping the set with a break of Ammori. "We were both building each other up more in the second set," Hantz said. "We used our confidence, joined together as a team and just improved our game." The first four games of the third featured service breaks. Highland then secured the only hold among the first eight games and later held again with an 18-point win on Hantz's serve. Magnificat had two chances to break and fought off four match points before the Hornets clinched the match on Schlak's overhead smash. "We just want to keep practicing how we've been and go into next week confident," Hantz said. "We didn't play doubles together during the regular season, but I love playing with Claire. She's a great partner. Both of our serves set us up really good and we have really good communication together." Guillermo and Ammori ultimately took fourth, losing their third-place match 6-3, 6-4 to Hoban's Karlie and Diana Nicolae. The Knights took a 4-3 lead before winning the next two in the first set, then built a 5-2 lead in the second. Magnificat broke back to make things interesting, but Hoban closed the match in the next game. The Blue Streaks also qualified for the state semifinals of the D-I Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Tournament, which will be held in Mason on Oct. 18. "It's really cool to go to state since we're freshmen," Guillermo said. "It's been really fun. I'm hoping to improve my volleys for the state tournament. We didn't play any doubles during the season, but we're working together well and we know our styles, so it's easier to play." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.