Alexandria’s Jacob Partington and Gannon Lueck won the Section 8-2A doubles championship on June 3.
It marks the first time the Alexandria program has had a singles or a doubles champion since 2005. The Cardinals won both the singles and doubles section tournament that year.
The senior duo won all three matches to clinch a spot in the doubles state tournament. The final win came against Becker’s Ryan Bengtson and Eli Sheideman 6-3, 6-3. Partington and Lueck won all six sets they played in on Thursday.
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“They served well the entire day and consistently pressured the opponents by crashing the net,” Alexandria head coach Dave Ronning said. “They overwhelmed their opponents with put away and passing shots. They steadily improved throughout the subsection and section tournament and were rewarded with a trip to the state tournament.”
Alexandria’s second doubles team of Pieter Mulder and Andrew Wegner put up a valiant fight against the South’s top seed. Bengtson and Sheideman beat Mulder and Wegner 6-4, 6-2 to survive a scare.
“The first set was very tight, and just a couple of points made the difference between winning and losing,” Ronning said. “They fell behind early in the second but made a run. Both told me it was a good way to end their season with their heads held high. We are so proud of the way both of our doubles teams competed Thursday. To see Jacob and Gannon win it all was so sweet.”
The first round of the Class AA doubles state tournament is June 10 starting at 10 a.m. at Prior Lake High School.
QUARTERFINAL- Ryan Bengtson-Eli Sheideman (BECK) def. Pieter Mulder 6-4, 6-2; Jacob Partington-Gannon Lueck (A) def. Henry Sawatzke-Dylan Roiger (MONT) 6-1, 6-2; SEMIFINAL- Partington-Lueck def. Beck Barber-RJ Campbell (BRD) 6-1, 6-3; FINALS- Partington-Lueck def. Bengtson-Sheideman 6-3, 6-3
