SM East’s Fotopoulos wins singles, BV North wins team title at Aquinas

As she took the court Tuesday at the Plaza Tennis Center, Shawnee Mission East standout Mimi Fotopoulos had yet to lose so much as a single game — let alone a set — in a dominant start to her sophomore season.

The highly regarded 15-team St. Thomas Aquinas Tennis Invitational, though, seemed sure to provide a test for Fotopoulos, the Kansas 6A state runner-up last season.

And before the day was over, well, indeed it did.

Blue Valley North would win the team championship, the Mustangs’ Shae Fournier and Shea Flanagan would prevail in the doubles bracket, and in the marquee match of the day, Fotopoulos would add another win to her impressive season resume.

But this time with a little suspense.

After cruising past her first two opponents Tuesday with 8-0 victories following a first-round bye, and advancing with an 8-1 semifinals win over Aquinas’ Natalie Looney, Fotopoulos met a familiar foe in the finals of the singles bracket.

She and BV North senior Haley Fournier had last faced each other in varsity competition during the state semifinals last year. Fotopoulos prevailed in three sets that day, and their clash Tuesday wouldn’t be much different.

Playing an eight-game pro set, Fotopoulos seized leads of 4-1 and 7-4. But before she could seal the win, a resilient Fournier had fought back to make it 7-6 and had taken a 30-love lead in the last game before her comeback ended.

When Fournier’s final return sailed out of bounds past the corner of the court, Fotopoulos had an 8-6 win and had overcome her toughest challenger of the season — for now, at least.

“She was just on fire, and really there was nothing I could do about it,” said Haley Fournier.

Both players and their coaches acknowledged the likelihood that Fotopoulos and Fournier will meet again — at regionals and possibly at the state tournament.

“I guess today was my day, but, you know, who knows what’s going to happen next time we meet,” said Fotopoulos, who improved to 13-0 this season.

The doubles bracket, meanwhile, produced another intriguing final.

Flanagan and Shae Fournier had lost only one time all season entering the championship match against SM East’s tandem of Nikki Reber and Molly Cooper. That loss, however, had come to none other than Reber and Cooper.

This time, though, Fournier and Flanagan came out on top with an 8-6 win, and they also expect they haven’t seen the last of their SM East counterparts.

And on this day, BV North won the team competition with 142 points, followed by SM East (126) in second and Notre Dame de Sion (105) in third.

“We’re big rivals, and it’s always nice to play teams that are at that level,” BV North coach Ann Heidebrecht said of clashing with the Lancers. “It makes (for) some good tennis.”

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-09-29 22:47:01

Comments - leave comment