Norwalk fourth at host doubles tournament

NORWALK — The Norwalk High School girls tennis team placed fourth among the eight teams at its host doubles Invitational on Aug. 17 at the Middle School courts. The field included four Division I teams along with league contenders Shelby and host Norwalk, among others. Sylvania Northview won two of the four positions to win a criteria tiebreaker en route to 85 points to claim the tournament title by tiebreaker over Ashland (85). Shelby (65) was third, followed by Norwalk (50), Findlay (35), Edison (15), St. Mary Central Catholic (15) and Amherst (10). The Truckers had two finalists at third and fourth doubles in the pairings of senior Shyla Gruhlke and sophomore Addy Rospert; and sophomore Lydia Trost and junior Roxy Brummit. At third doubles, Gruhlke and Rospert opened with a sweep of Edison's Rowen Smith and Scarlett Bennett (6-0,6 -0) before topping Findlay's Lauren Taber and Audrey Schroeder (6-3, 6-3). They fell in the final to Ashland's Melody Rickett and Nora White (7-5, 6-1). At fourth doubles, Trost and Brummit defeated Amherst's MacKenzie Gutierrez and Maria Bak (6-1, 6-4) and Ashland's Jocelyn Honaker and Claire Swaisgood (6-2, 6-4). They fell to Northview's Abby Caryer and Claire Lapointe in the finals (7-6 (4), 6-2). Also for Norwalk, the second doubles team of seniors Lauren Brown and Kenzie Smith bounced back from a first-round loss to win twice and earn fifth. The pair fell to Ashland's Mya Donatini and Claire Sharick (6-4, 7-5). They defeated Edison's Liz Campbell and Jenna Keoghan (8-3) and SMCC's Bailey Woodruff and Bella Matthews (8-6). The first doubles team of Ana Osborn and Eva Ott fell to Shelby's Annie Malek and Bella Carver (6-3, 6-4) before falling to SMCC's Gianna Pelz and Rachel Spicer (8-3). For Edison, the fourth doubles team of Madison Ballah and Chloe Hazelwood (Norwalk) placed fourth. The pair opened with a sweep (6-0, 6-0) over SMCC's Channing Feiszli and Elizabeth Farrar before falling in the semifinals to Northview's Caryer and Lapointe (6-0, 6-2). In the third-place match, they fell to Ashland's Honaker and Swaisgood (8-2). Edison's first doubles team of Ivy Kluding and Isabella Wilson fell to Amherst's Kayla Bussard and Emma Timko (6-4, 6-2), then lost to Findlay's Abi Russel and Caitlin England (8-4). Campbell and Keoghan lost to Northview's Lauren Stuckey and Marissa Morgan (6-2, 6-4) before the loss to Norwalk's Brown and Smith. At third doubles, Smith and Bennett bounced back from the loss to Norwalk to defeated SMCC's Lauren and Nadia Maxwell (8-2) before falling to Northview's Vanessa Panchall and Ritika Varghese in the fifth-place match (8-1).