Homestead sophomore Aly Coran made it two in a row at the WIAA Division 1 individual state girls tennis tournament on Saturday, taking a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kenosha Bradford sophomore Karyn Guttormsen in the final at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.
Coran, who hasn't lost a match in two years of high school competition, finished this season with a 37-0 record. She survived a tough first set to beat Onalaska sophomore Maddie Johnson in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-0.
Guttormsen advanced to the final with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Nicolet senior Jennifer Winston.
Junior Tara Robey and sophomore Sarah Woods of Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels took the Division 1 doubles title, beating Homestead junior Dani Merar and senior Kristin Swenson in the final, 6-2, 6-3. It marked the second consecutive year that a DSHA entry won the doubles title.
Homestead showed its strength in the semifinal round, as the Highlanders' No. 2 team, Merar and Swenson, beat top-seeded teammates Brittany Watchmaker (a senior) and Corey Mattson (a junior), 7-5, 6-3.
Top-seeded Shannon Etten of Appleton Xavier took the Division 2 singles title with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over University School of Milwaukee freshman Maddy Ecker. Manitowoc Roncalli seniors Elissa Halla and Natalie Foster held their No. 1 seeding to win the Division 2 doubles title.
Top teams return to Madison on Friday for the state team tournament. Homestead is favored in Division 1 and University School is picked to repeat in Division 2.
Art Kabelowsky has spent 33 years in the sports writing business, the last 12 with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Art was named the Journal Sentinel's Prep Editor in July, 2000, directing its high school sports coverage until he accepted the paper's offer of a voluntary buyout last August.
A graduate of Sussex Hamilton High School and UW-Whitewater, Art has also worked for daily papers in Fort Atkinson, Racine, La Crosse and Decatur, Ill. He has been sports editor in Fort Atkinson and La Crosse.
Art spent five years as a beat reporter covering the La Crosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association and has also covered a Rose Bowl, countless Green Bay Packers games and more than 25 years' worth of state high school basketball tournaments and football finals.
He lives on the northwest side and has spent the last few months volunteering as an assistant football coach at Milwaukee Riverside High School.
