Rainy weather and lengthy matches forced the postponement of the championship match of Edina's Jim Jones Invitational tennis tournament Sept. 19.
The tournament is always the best of the girls' tennis regular season, and this year was no different. Edina, ranked No. 3 in the state, defeated Wayzata 7-0 in the first round and squeaked past sixth-ranked Eastview 4-3 in the semifinals.
At the same time, No. 1-ranked Mahtomedi routed Mounds View 7-0 in the first round and got past No. 7 Minnetonka in the second round. By the time the two teams had completed their matches, however, there simply wasn't time to contest the finals, depriving fans and players of a chance to see a preview of a potential state championship match.
"It had rained the night before, so we didn't get started until around 10 a.m.," Edina coach Steve Paulsen said.
One reason the final has been delayed is that Edina and Mahtomedi have a dual match set for Wednesday at Mahtomedi. It was agreed that match will be the tournament final.
"I'm bringing the Jim Jones trophy to the match, and we'll award it there," Paulsen said.
While Edina is still a favorite to extend its state-record steak of 18 consecutive Class 2A titles, even Paulsen admits that this year it's far from a certainty. The Hornets lost 5-2 to second-ranked Prior Lake on Sept. 9.
"That was a very even match," Paulsen said. "Prior Lake played very well. And Mahtomedi is a very good team. The state tournament will be close."
Stars superstars
Eight players from the Minnesota Stars girls' basketball 16-Under team have made college commitments. Three are from defending Class 4A champion Hopkins: Nia Hollie (Michigan St.), Ashley Bates (Hampton) and Elizabeth Bulver (North Dakota St.). Others are Osseo's Kiara Russell (Arizona St.), Orono's Meghan Mandel (Marquette), Bloomington Kennedy's Tyrah Spencer (North Dakota St.) and LaShayla Wright-Ponder (South Dakota) and Maranatha's Alaina Jarnot (Monmouth).
