Going to court: New-look Flivvers edge Wykons
Kingsford’s lone returning singles player for the 2022 season, senior No. 1 singles Ashlyn Blaskowski, follows through on a serve attempt while fending off West Iron County junior Aubrey Bice for a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 victory Thursday. Blaskowski’s victory helped the Flivvers clinch a 4-3 win. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)
West Iron County tennis player Lillie Schmutzler, one half of the Wykons’ No. 1 doubles team, lunges to try to return a shot during Thursday’s match at Kingsford High School against the host Flivvers. Schmutzler and Calista Bortolameolli slipped by Ellyce Doenier and Lexie Vross 6-4, 6-4 but Kingsford narrowly beat West Iron 4-3 for the team victory. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)
Kingsford’s lone returning singles player for the 2022 season, senior No. 1 singles Ashlyn Blaskowski, follows through on a serve attempt while fending off West Iron County junior Aubrey Bice for a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 victory Thursday. Blaskowski’s victory helped the Flivvers clinch a 4-3 win. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)
West Iron County tennis player Lillie Schmutzler, one half of the Wykons’ No. 1 doubles team, lunges to try to return a shot during Thursday’s match at Kingsford High School against the host Flivvers. Schmutzler and Calista Bortolameolli slipped by Ellyce Doenier and Lexie Vross 6-4, 6-4 but Kingsford narrowly beat West Iron 4-3 for the team victory. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)
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KINGSFORD -- With two rebuilt lineups, the Kingsford Flivvers and the West Iron County Wykons girls tennis teams met in an early-season match on a breezy day Thursday at Kingsford High School's tennis courts.
Both teams are in the beginning stages of building experience and match toughness in the various flights. And that showed some Thursday as the players mixed some jitters in with some flashes of impressive play in the Flivvers' 4-3 victory over the visiting Wykons.
Kingsford was one point away from winning the eighth and final match with No. 3 Ella Rizzo leading Destiny Lemery 2-6, 6-4, 5-3 (40-15) when a quick rain shower ended the match just shy of completion.
The difference in the overall team match came in the singles bracket, where Kingsford's basically new singles lineup won two of the three completed matches against West Iron's completely new singles lineup.
The teams split the four doubles matches.
"We played really well for our first match of the season," Kingsford's fourth-year varsity coach Tracy Rutter said. "It was good to get mostly wins and now we have Marquette on Monday, so we're looking forward to getting some more matches under our belts.
Kingsford's lone singles returner, senior No. 1 singles player Ashlyn Blaskowski, earned what turned out to be the Flivvers' clinching win with a tough 7-5, 7-5 victory over Wykon junior Aubrey Bice, who played doubles for West Iron the last two years.
The match was filled with long rallies and close games.
"She was a very good player," Blaskowski said of Bice. "It was a very tough (match). There were points there that I just wanted to give up, but you've just got to keep pushing through."
Blaskowski credited an improved serve for helping her gain the initial victory of her final season. She also was able to fight off a persistent crosswind that is a rather normal occurrence at the KHS tennis courts.
"Some shots (the wind) helped you and some shots it just destroyed you," Blaskowski said. "The wind keeps changing here, you just have to get used to it."
On the other side of the net, Bice entered with just two matches at No. 1 singles, both coming earlier in the week. The diminutive right-hander came into the match with two victories, one over Negaunee and one over Ishpeming.
"She's been put in a tough situation," Serbentas said of his top singles player. "She won the challenges and she wanted it. The hard thing is when you're playing singles, you're on an island by yourself and today it got to her. She got very angry because she got up 5-4 in the first set and (Blaskowski) came back and beat her.
"You've got to let that stuff go."
West Iron received its lone singles triumph from junior No. 2 singles Sienna Stine, who upended Kingsford senior Paige Janousek 6-1, 6-1. Both players competed in doubles a season ago.
The Wykons also picked up victories in the two top doubles flights. No. 1 doubles Lillie Schmutzler and Calista Bortolameolli slipped by Ellyce Doenier and Lexie Vross 6-4, 6-4, while the sister tandem of Autumn Smith and Katelyn Smith topped Addison Rutter and Linnea Grubb 6-2, 6-2.
Serbentas said that Katelyn, a sophomore, didn't want to play doubles last year with her sister Autumn, a senior, but requested the pairing this fall.
"It's not very often you can play tennis with a family member and it's going to be good memories for them," Serbentas said. "I told her that she will be happy with that decision."
Kingsford posted straight-set wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 doubles flights. At No, 3 Audrey Veale and Aubrey Phillips defeated Bailey Hoffart and Aubrey Richardson and at No. 4, Libby Vross and Ava Lovell knocked off Olivia Lemay and Alex Hansen 6-1, 6-1.
In her first match as a tennis player after competing in volleyball the past two years, Flivver junior Allette Shanks scored a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Madison Cronkright.
With their annually difficult schedule, the Flivvers were happy to get a leg up in the 2022 campaign.
"I'm looking forward to the season," Rutter said. "I think we have a really good chance at a good season and they're all excited for the season."