Sectional Tennis: Amherst's Kayla Bussard claims first postseason title

MEDINA — Amherst's Kayla Bussard continued her perfect season Wednesday, winning two more matches to improve to 29-0 in singles and capturing her first sectional title in the process. "This is just surreal," she said. "I knew I could do it, but I didn't fully believe I was going to." Bussard dispatched her teammate Sierra Nagy 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinal before dropping her first games of the tournament in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Rocky River's Allie Huff. "I gained a lot of confidence after winning that first set, because (Huff) was really, really good," Bussard said. "I knew it was going to be really hard, but after I won the first set, I said 'you know what, I can do this.'" On the other side of the singles bracket, Avon Lake's Kathleen Boatwright continued her stellar sophomore season with a third-place finish, defeating Nagy 6-2, 6-2 in the third-place match after a 0-6, 2-6 defeat at the hands of Huff in the semifinal. "(This season) has been amazing," Boatwright said. "I've had so many goals that I've been trying to reach since my freshman year, and this year it's just been check, check, check on all of them, and it's just been so fun." Boatwright moved from third to first singles this season, and despite the success she has already had, her season is far from over. She will carry the momentum from her third-place finish into the district tournament. "My biggest goal was making it to districts," Boatwright said. "So anything I can do after that would just be amazing, and I'm just so proud of myself." On the doubles side, Magnificat took advantage of this season's rule change allowing schools to enter three teams and took the top three spots in the tournament. The top-seeded duo of Molly Williams and Avon Lake resident Marissa Packer defeated Avon Lake's Malaya Marijan and Sara Hughes 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. Second-seeded Adrianna Guillermo and Avon resident Elizabeth Ammori defeated Magnificat teammates Maeve Soltesz and Avon Lake resident Maggie Steen 6-1, 6-1. In the final, Guillermo and Ammori upset Williams and Packer 6-1, 6-2 to take the sectional crown over their teammates. "It felt good," Ammori said. "But it was some mixed feelings at the same time, because they're our teammates and we've been with them the whole season." With all three Magnificat teams qualifying for the district tournament, it has a fantastic chance to add more silverware. "I feel like we're all pretty even," Ammori said. "I feel like we could all make it pretty far and we can do well in districts with how we've been playing." SINGLES Championship: Kayla Bussard (Amherst) def. Allie Huff (Rocky River) 6-4, 6-0. Third: Kathleen Boatwright def. Sienna Nagy 6-2, 6-2. Semifinals: Bussard def. Nagy 6-0, 6-0; Huff def. Boatwright 6-0, 6-2. DOUBLES Championship: Elizabeth Ammori-Arianna Guillermo (Magnificat B) def. Marissa Parker-Molly Williams (Magnificat A) 6-1, 6-2. Third: Maeve Soltesz-Maggie Steen (Magnificat C) def. Malaya Marijan-Sara Hughes (Avon Lake) 6-3, 6-1. Semifinals: Magnificat A def. Avon Lake 6-2, 6-2; Magnificat B def. Magnificat C 6-1, 6-1.