First tournament done, and a first success.
Thunder Bay Recreation Center hosted its first USTA Mixed Doubles Tennis State Championships and according to officials everything went smoothly.
"The facility is absolutely beautiful," said Northern Michigan District Coordinator Nancy Butson. "People (at the tournament) were very impressed."
Vickie Lampel, who helped coordinate the tournament, said this was the first time a northern Michigan site was chosen. She added even Traverse City hadn't been selected for such an event.
Although, the site was held in the North, it was the teams from western Michigan that dominated the tournament.
The 6.0 to 9.0 western teams each won in their divisions. The best finish was the 7.0 team from Minges Creek, which is near Grand Rapids, winning eight out of nine sets.
The 8.0 No. 1 doubles team of Javier Sanchez and Jackie Buck had two wins for their Grand Rapids team. The 9.0 team lost their No. 1 doubles, but rebounded at No. 2 and 3 singles for a 2-1 match win.
In the 6.0 division, the West Hills team team took a 2-1 victory over SEM Wimbledon. Paul LaFierriere and Jana Schulman had a 6-3, 6-3 win in the match.
The winners of the divisions advance to sectionals.