Manheim Township wins District 3 Class 3A girls tennis team title; Lancaster Country Day 2nd in 2A
HERSHEY — It was a situation very reminiscent of two years ago.
In both cases, Manheim Township and New Oxford were locked in a tight battle in the District Three girls tennis team tournament Class 3A final, it all coming down to No. 3 singles. In 2022, the Colonials got a three-set victory to take the win and end the Blue Streaks' run of district crowns at six.
Thursday at Hershey Racquet Club, the roles reversed as third-seeded Township won 3-2 over the No. 1 seed in a battle of unbeatens when Camille Honrade won in three sets to help end New Oxford's two-year run.
"Because I lost that second set by like 6-1, I was just like, 'I gotta win it, I gotta win it,' " said Honrade after her 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Emory Millar-Kellner.
In Class 2A, top-seeded Lancaster Country Day lost 3-2 to third-seeded Berks Catholic.
"A few weeks ago, I was looking at the matchups and looking at the teams, staying up late, not getting any sleep," said Manheim Township coach Carolyn Miller. "And I said to my husband, 'I think we have a chance of winning districts.'
"Then today, when I talked to the girls, and I said, 'We have a chance to win this,' and I really thought if they played their games and they played well ... I thought we were going to win. ... And it went out way."
Both championship teams lost at No. 1 and No. 2 singles.
For Township (19-0), Lilly Briner and Ellie Evans won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles while Mariel Keares and Gianna Conte took a 6-3, 6-2 decision at No. 2.
New Oxford (16-1) got a win at No. 1 singles from District Three 3A champion Anya Rosenbach, who coasted to a 6-0, 6-1 win over L-L 3A winner Haley Miller; and Kaelyn Balko won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, setting up the thrilling finish, which drew a fairly loud and boisterous crowd.
"I saw a lot of people on the balcony and I got kind of nervous," said Honrade. "My coach came down after the second set and said just have fun, forget about the nerves."
"I was really nervous," said Miller of Honrade's match. "Like every point, I had to walk away and come back.
"When she lost the second set, I thought, 'She's not out of this. She can come back. She did it against Cumberland Valley.' ... I believed in her, and I said, 'Camille, I believe in you, I know you can do it.' And she did awesome."
Both teams already had qualified for the PIAA team tournament, which will begin Tuesday and conclude Friday and Saturday at HRC.
"We did a lot better than we expected already," said New Oxford coach Travis Martin. "And then even having the chance to bring home the gold again, it's just a great feeling as a coach.
"This was the opposite; that first year that we beat them, I thought they were the favorites. ... I admire the Manheim (Township) program, successful program in and out. That we could compete with them for three straight years is pretty amazing."
While Country Day's contest didn't have any three-set thrillers, both doubles matches were still very compelling.
Francesca Ditsky and Maddie Gordos won 7-5, 7-5 at No. 1 doubles for Berks Catholic (13-1) over Nastasia Philip and Lianne Harkin. The Saints duo trailed 5-4 in each set before winning three straight games.
"The other team started really playing well when they got down," said Cougars coach Greg Hammond, whose team falls to 15-2. "We tried to make them earn it and they earned it."
At No. 2 doubles, Molly McFadden and Serena Burkey topped the Cougars' Ryleigh Zimmerman and Maggie Schnader 6-4, 6-4.
"I can't say I'm upset; it was really, really close," said Country Day's No. 1 player, Sophia Babar, who won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 singles and is still battling respiratory issues that led to her loss in the singles semifinals on Saturday and her withdrawal before the third-place match. "Our girls really fought hard and I'm proud of them."
Monica Lopez had an even easier time at No. 2 singles, not losing a game.
"We knew it was going to be a tough match," said Hammond. "We had done really well in doubles throughout the season, so we were confident going in, but (Berks Catholic) played well today."
In the Class 3A third-place match, Hempfield fell 3-2 at Cumberland Valley (16-1). The Black Knights (15-4) won both doubles, with Lindsay Over and Serena Felices winning 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 while Caellain Brodbeck and Siena Glass won 4-6, 6-4, 13-11 at No. 2.
Hempfield also had already secured a PIAA tournament 3A spot while Country Day had clinched a spot in 2A. Wyomissing beat Delone Catholic 3-0 for the third and final 2A spot in states.
