BV North, Fournier claim state titles

MAIZE, Kan. | As the final shot of the match landed wide, Blue Valley North senior Haley Fournier clenched her fist, smiled and walked to the net to shake hands.

Then she couldn’t help but cry.

Entering the Kansas 6A singles final Saturday at Maize South, Fournier had never beaten her opponent, Shawnee Mission East’s Mimi Fotopoulos. Not in two prior matches this season. Not in any of their matches last season.

For that matter, nobody this year had defeated Fotopoulos, the Lancers’ sophomore standout.

But in her final varsity match, Fournier beat Fotopoulos, 6-3, 6-1, adding a singles championship to the two doubles state titles she won as a freshman and sophomore.

“I was so excited. It’s just a good way to end it,” Fournier said. “I didn’t want to have any regrets later on in my life to look back and think that I wish I would have won.”

Fournier’s victory punctuated the day for BV North, which won the 6A team title with 58 points, while SM East placed second with 50. It’s the fifth girls tennis state championship for BV North in the last six seasons.

Also helping the Mustangs’ cause were a second-place finish by the doubles team of junior Shae Fournier and freshman Shea Flanagan, a fourth-place doubles finish by freshmen Megan Schultz and Carly Sutton and a fourth-place singles finish by sophomore Madison Rhyner.

Shawnee Mission East senior Nikki Reber, meanwhile, won her second career doubles state title, teaming with sophomore Mollie Cooper for a dramatic and spirited 6-1, 3-6, 14-12 finals victory over the Fournier-Flanagan team.

After winning the 6A doubles championship last year with then-senior Sarah Luby, Reber and Cooper finished 17-1.

“It’s kind of hard to adjust with a new partner, but to be able to do that in a short amount of weeks is really special,” Reber said.

There was drama at the end of that doubles final — and throughout the singles championship match.

Fournier left the court at one point to request an official, who later had to rule on a disagreement over the score.

The match was chippy throughout. But it was a memorable end for Fournier, who finished the season 28-2 and matched her older sister Taylor Fournier (2007) as a 6A state singles champion.

Fotopoulos finished 24-1.

“I just didn’t play very good today, and she played great,” Fotopoulos said.

Blue Valley junior Ashley Tiefel also reached the semifinals, placing third in singles.

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-10-17 20:38:01

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