Getting to State in High School athletics is tough enough, but excelling among the best at your craft is totally different, especially as a freshman.
Manitowoc Lincoln’s Ava Wetenkamp has put the girls’ tennis world on notice following her top 16 finish in Division One at the WIAA State Individual Girls Tennis Tournament in Madison.
She began her run yesterday (Thursday) by defeating the tenth seed in senior Milana Halberg of Sun Prairie West, in straight sets, then knocked off Lauren Filpak, a senior from Arrowhead 7-5,6-0 to advance to this (Friday) morning’s quarterfinals.
Junior Andjela Bovogac, the seven seed from Greendale, was Ava’s opponent. Bovogac proved she was worthy of that distinction as she defeated Wetenkamp in straight sets 6-1 and 6-4, to advance to the Division One semifinals Saturday (tomorrow) morning.
Ships Head Coach Paige Cotton tells Seehafer News. com, “Ava did an excellent job today. She’s disappointed not finishing in the top 8, but advancing as far as she did as a freshman is nothing short of impressive.”
Cotton says that every point was competitive, including several deuces that went Bovogac’s way, which eventually decided the match.
“She battled uphill the entire match but just couldn’t get over the top; Ava made her (Bovogac) earn every point,” she added. “I’m very proud of her, and I can’t wait to see what the next three years bring.”
The Ships Head Coach adds that her first year at the helm, albeit hectic, was extremely fun.
“These girls improved drastically from the beginning of the season (mid-August) until the very end. I can’t thank my coaching staff and everyone throughout the program for their support,” Cotton explained. “As a new mom, it got very hectic at times, but it was worth every minute.”
Ava (Wetenkamp) finishes her freshman year with a record of 18 and 4, while Bovogac takes a 30 and 0 record into the semifinals tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
