Update: SPASH’s No. 1 doubles team of Caroline Blakeman and Berit Borgnes, got selected as special qualifiers for the State tournament. Pacelli’s No. 1 singles player, Natalie Cooper, also got chosen.

By Jacob Heid

Eau Claire — Tournament season is upon us, and SPASH has had a great start early on. This time, Tatum Thielman, the No. 1 singles player for the Panthers, advanced to sectionals after finishing in second place in her flight in the Rhinelander subsectional on 10/3. She then competed in the Eau Claire Memorial sectional on 10/5, finishing in second place and qualifying to play in Madison.

The top four finishers in the number one singles and number one doubles in each sectional qualify for state. Thielman lost in the championship match to a conference foe, Wausau West’s Mia Bailey, but was able to qualify by making the semifinals. Thielman was the only Panther to advance to the State tournament, but a couple of other players had chances. 

Lily Meeks, the No. 4 player for SPASH, lost her first-round match at the sectional. All three doubles teams advanced to the sectional, with two nearly making the cut. The No. 1 team of Caroline Blakeman and Berit Borgnes lost the first match that would have put them in the semifinals. The No. 2 team of Abby Erwin and Annika Borgnes needed to win their flight to qualify. They lost an intense championship match in three sets, 3-6, 7-6 (2), and 13-11. Lastly, the duo of Sophia Brandt and Mali Palmer lost their first match, 6-4, 6-2. 

In terms of the No.1 and No. 2 doubles teams for SPASH, they have a chance to be a special qualifier. The State Seeding Committee picks one singles player and one doubles team from each sectional who lost early. That is known sometime on Friday. This story will be updated as new information gets released. If you have other local sports stories, contact me at [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter at JacobHeid_15 for updates on local sporting events.