JOURNAL STAFF
MONROE – The Byrd Lady Yellow Jackets nearly captured a state tennis championship Tuesday as the Young triplets posted semifinal victories and reached state finals at ULM’s Heard Stadium.
Byrd, St. Joseph’s and Mandeville battled for the LHSAA girls’ Division I team title, with St. Joseph’s rising to 13 ½ points for the crown, 2 ½ more than Byrd’s total.
Isabella Young led the way for Byrd with her push to the singles championship match. After three wins Monday, she toppled Laura Carolina Holliday of St. Joseph’s by 6-3, 6-3 in a tough semifinal contest. Natalie Devraj of Mandeville took a three-set semis win, posting a 6-0 victory in the decisive set, then recovered and prevailed 6-2, 6-0 over Young in the final.
The other two Young triplets also reached the championship round, in doubles play. After a trio of quarterfinal victories Monday, Morgan and Sydney Young dispatched Emily Cohn and Avery Wicker of Mt. Carmel 6-3, 6-4. But in the state final, Sophia Manuel and Caroline Pousson of St. Joseph’s posted a 6-2, 6-3 triumph.
Championship play in Divisions I and II was contested Tuesday. Competition in Divisions III and IV will be staged Thursday and Friday.
Division I
GIRLS
Team scoring:
- St. Joseph’s 13 ½
- Byrd 11
- Mount Carmel 9
- Mandeville 5 ½
- Dominican, West Monroe 5
- St. Amant, Walker 3
- Alexandria, Barbe, Baton Rouge 2
- Captain Shreve, Woodlawn-BR, Zachary 1
SINGLES
Semifinals: Isabella Young, Byrd d. Laura Carolina Holliday, St. Joseph’s, 6-3, 6-3; Natalie Devraj, Mandeville d. Ella Mancuso, St. Joseph’s, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Final: Devraj, Mandeville d. Young, Byrd, 6-2, 6-0
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Morgan Young-Sydney Young, Byrd d. Emily Cohn-Avery Wicker, Mt. Carmel, 6-3, 6-4; Sophia Manuel-Caroline Pousson, St. Joseph’s d. Iris Westmoreland-Sydney Green, Mt. Carmel, 6-0, 6-0.
Final: Manuel-Pousson, St. Joseph’s d. Young-Young, Byrd, 6-2, 6-3.
BOYS
Team scoring:
- St. Paul’s 15
- Barbe, Brother Martin, 8 ½
- Jesuit 9
- Catholic-BR 5
- Lafayette 4
- Mandeville 3
- Airline, Byrd, Hahnville, West Monroe 2
- Alexandria, Destrehan, Sulphur 1
SINGLES
Semifinals: Brody Sawyer, St. Paul’s d. Evan Patton, Lafayette, 6-3, 7-5; Steven Rice, Barbe d. Joshua Verges, Jesuit, 7-5, 6-3.
Final: Rice, Barbe d. Sawyer, St. Paul’s, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Reece Beckendorf-Kieffer Schwartz, St. Paul’s d. Caeden Bayle-William Gustafson, St. Paul’s, 7-5, 6-1; Mark Armbruster-Mitchell Armbruster, Brother Martin d. Aidan Duffield-Christian St. Martin, Catholic-BR 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
Final: Armbruster-Armbruster, Brother Martin d. Beckendorf-Schwartz, St. Joseph’s, 6-3, 6-1.
Division II
GIRLS
Team scoring:
- The Willow 16
- Neville 12 ½
- St. Scholastica 8
- Hannan 7 ½
- Assumption, Caddo Magnet, St. Thomas More, Vandebilt Catholic, 3
- Teurlings Catholic 2
- Ben Franklin, David Thibodaux, Eunice, Leesville, St. Michael, West Ouachita 1
SINGLES
Semifinals: Lauren Graham, Neville d. My-Linh Holmes, The Willow, 7-5, 6-2; My-Anh Holmes, The Willow d. Natalie Sin, Caddo Magnet, 6-0, 6-0.
Finals: Holmes, The Willow d. Graham, Neville, 6-0, 6-1.
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Maiou Zhang-Usha Ramdal, The Willow d. Lauren Breen-Alexandria Reynolds, Neville 7-6, 4-6, 6-4; Avery Lewis-Sydney Smyczynski, Hannan d. Katherine Bilbro-Abigail Hunter, The Willow, 6-2, 6-1.
Finals: Lewis-Smyczynski, Hannan d. Zhang-Ramdall, The Willow, 6-2, 6-1.
BOYS
Team scoring:
- Neville 15
- St. Thomas More 13
- Vandebilt Catholic 8
- Teurlings Catholic 5
- David Thibodaux, Sam Houston, The Willow, 3
- Rummel, Caddo Magnet, West Ouachita, 2
- Hannan, Ben Franklin, Franklin Parish, Holy Cross, Pearl River, South Terrebonne, St. Michael, Terrebonne 1
SINGLES
Semifinals: Mitchell Spence, Neville d. Brett Foster, David Thibodaux, 6-1, 6-1; Mason Landreth, St. Thomas More d. George Gibson, The Willow, 6-0, 6-0.
Finals: Landreth, St. Thomas More d. Spence, Neville, 6-0, 6-2.
DOUBLES
Semifinals: Benton Anzalone-Christian Williams, Neville d. Ashton Bollom-Andrew Pitre, Vandebilt Catholic 6-1, 6-1; Ben Davis-John David McCory, St. Thomas More d. Alex Odinet-Evan Privat, Teurlings Catholic 6-1, 6-0.
Finals: Davis-McCory, St. Thomas More d. Anzalone-Williams, Neville 6-1, 6-2.
