Edina 7th-grader reaches semifinals

Even though she is competing in her first tennis state tournament, Edina seventh-grader Sophia Reddy is no stranger to the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center.

"This is where I train," Reddy said. "I'm used to these courts."

Reddy looked at home on Thursday as she won two singles matches to advance to Friday's semifinals of the Class 2A tournament.

Reddy, who lost in the semifinals at the Section 6 meet but qualified for the state meet because of an injury default, defeated Rochester Mayo sophomore Kylie Boyer 6-3, 6-4 in the first round Thursday.

"The last time I played her I lost," Reddy said. "So I knew I had to step up and play well."

In the quarterfinals, Reddy rallied for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Elk River senior Michaela Schulz.

"She plays a really paced game," Reddy said. "So I had to make adjustments."

Reddy will play Stillwater senior Natalie Phippen in the semifinals. Phippen outlasted St. Cloud Tech eighth-grader Taylor Tarrolly 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Reddy won three matches at No. 2 singles to help Edina win its 16th consecutive state team title.

Top seed in semifinalsMounds View junior Summer Brills was the only one of the top four seeds in the Class 2A singles to advance past the first round.

Brills, the No. 1 seed, defeated Bemidji senior Jessica Solberg 6-1, 6-2 in the first round and then defeated Eagan senior Danielle Donahue 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

Brills will meet Andover's Faith Lee in the semifinals. Lee, who won the consolation title at last year's state tournament, defeated St. Paul Central junior Helen Klass-Warch 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Brills, making her first appearance in singles at the state meet, teamed with Tacy Haws-Lay to finish second in doubles at last year's tournament.

Aney sisters move onRochester Century freshman Jessica Aney, who won the Class 2A singles title last year, and sister Katherine Aney, a junior, advanced to the semifinals of the Class 2A doubles.

Next they will meet Edina's Meghan Herring and Kelly Reger.

In the other doubles semifinal, Edina's Morgan Marinovich and Mackenzi Marinovich will meet Centennial's Kelly Jachymowski and Courtney Klair. At last year's tournament, Morgan Marinovich teamed with Maddie Boyer to finish third in doubles.

Class 1A seeds advanceThree of the four seeds -- No. 1 Patricia Zhao of Breck, No. 2 Sonya Das of St. Paul Academy and No. 3 Sofia Terzic of Rochester Lourdes -- advanced to Friday's Class 1A singles semifinals at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center.

In the semifinals, Das, who was second at last year's tournament and third two years ago, and Terzic will play each other while Zhao will meet Annandale's Kaytlin Kuefler.

St. Paul Academy's Sarah Hays and Gina Nguyen, who finished third at last year's tournament, advanced to the Class 1A doubles semifinals. Hays and Nguyen will meet Virginia's Brylee Seitz and Taylor Gunderson.

Blake's Abby Rickeman and Maddy Hall will play Park Rapids' Christina Smith and Julia Renner in the other doubles semifinal.