Brandon’s girls tennis team started its season on an auspicious note.
The Blackhawks won the Lapeer/Brandon Tennis Invitational Aug. 18, finishing with 57 points. Lapeer West finished second (47) and Davison third (41).
Brandon took first or second in three of four singles flights as well as three of four doubles flights.
At #1 singles, senior Monica Lambert advanced to the finals before losing to Davison’s Kaitlin McAvinchey 6-0, 7-5. Senior Lynsey Crain won the #2 singles bracket with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Lapeer West’s Deanna Peplinski.
Senior Jill Perry took the #3 singles bracket with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Davison’s Kaley Brown, while senior Megan Ostrowski finished fourth at #4 singles, falling to Lapeer West’s Jill Bradley 6-3, 5-7 in the third-place contest.
In doubles competition, the #1 doubles team of senior Annemarie Solley and junior Lauren Dixon took third place, defeating Lapeer East’s Carrie Rymisewski and Brittany Hutton 6-3, 6-2 in the third-place game.
The #2 doubles tandem of senior Marilee Rumph and sophomore Hanna Hubbard captured that bracket by defeating Jaclyn Kyre and Kelsey Colt 6-3, 6-1 in the championship matchup.
Senior Laura Kwiatkowski and sophomore Emily Fluck took runner-up honors in the #3 doubles bracket, losing to Romeo’s Audrey Becker and Britta Turner 7-5, 6-3 in the championship game.
Junior Shannon Elliott and sophomore Brittany Barber capped off the invitational for the Blackhawks in fine fashion, winning the #4 doubles bracket by defeating Davison’s Kim Garrow and Lindsay Cason 6-1, 6-2 in the championship match.
The Blackhawks followed that up with a win in their first dual match of the sason Oct. 23, defeating Flint Kearsley 7-1. Brandon won three of four singles matches and all four doubles matches.
At #1 singles, Lambert defeated Ashley Lewis 6-4, 6-1; Crain defeated Ariel Cuthpert at #2 singles 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; and Perry defeated Rebecca Young at #3 singles 6-2, 6-0.
In doubles action, Solley and Dixon defeated Ashlee Allen and Larrisa Fuester at #1 doubles 6-0, 6-2; Rump and Hubbard defeated Nichole Boling and Alyssa Foust at #2 doubles 6-1, 6-2; Kwiatkowski and Fluck defeated Kayla Queen and Samantha Gratho at #3 doubles 6-4, 6-1; and Emily Holder and Jessica DeVoogd defeated Ashley Peters and Melissa James at #4 doubles 6-1, 6-2.