EDINA DUO WINS AGAIN
For the third straight year (a state record) the Edina duo of Sanna Coma and Ivy Peterson appeared in the title match of the state doubles tournament. For the second straight year the Hornet duo won their second straight title and, in the process, did not lose a set all year. All year they were ranked number one. For the fifth time this year they stopped Burnsville’s Katie Murray and Natalie Portwood who have been ranked two all year.
Three times a duo has won back-to-back titles. This was the first time a doubles team won back-to-back since Harding’s Mai Tria Lee & Kaabao Yang did it in 2005-06. This is the first time a suburban school has won two straight times.
C&P achieved the dual title with a combination of strong defense (they never allowed a run in the title game) while piling up a combined 25 winners to 10 along with 22 service points to only six. Coma alone had 16 service points. Coma also delivered the highest winners with 14 with Peterson not far behind at 11. Coma also led in set up points (points before hitting errors).
The Blaze actually started off the match with the first two points. That lead lasted until Edina’s second service with Peterson scoring once to make it 4-3. Edina scored on their first four serves with the fourth providing the first run of the match out to 9-5 on Peterson’s serve. After the initial points by Portwood, the Blaze were held scoreless ten straight times. Edina kept adding to their margins out to 18-13, their biggest lead of the first set. Burnsville was able to squeeze one point on each of their last two services. The set ended on a smash by Peterson, one of her game high nine. Coma also led in fewest errors with four.
The second and deciding set broke open when Sanna Coma rattled off an avalanche of 10 straight points to cement a commanding 18-6 lead. That run started off a missed Blaze serve. Then two straight two stroke errors greased the wheels. Peterson then added two straight smashes. The night ended when a Coma smash to Burnsville that was returned wide.
C&P moved through Thursday thusly: They opened with a win over Fridley 2 Yohana Miranda Carcamo & Megan Vang; followed by North St. Paul 3 Kat & Armella; Eden Prairie 2 Alexa & Ashtyn Bernardy; Washington 1 Megan Fang & Samira Khalif in the quarters; and Highland Park 1 Alice Verbrugge & Violet Solem Valentine in the semis. The most points the Hornet pair allowed prior to the final came in the second set in the semis with 15.
M&P’s path to the tile game started with Hiawatha 2 Yohana & Shayla; with ensuing victories against Highland Park 3 Natalia Gercheva & Lar Say Paw; Johnson 2 Krystal Moua and Shalisha Vang; Edina 3 Ella Burke and Daisy Hennington-Hoff in the quarters; and Edina 2 Bergan Pickett and Juman Alkhatib in the semis. The most the Blaze surrendered came in the semis when they fell 21-19 in the second set.
In 2007 was the first time the state went to the 21 point scoring method. Unlike the singles, only five times did the title game go to three sets. The entire match went just about 19 total minutes, about a dozen minutes less than the marathon in singles.
Next up—-a review of the tournament and season with final records, most wins by a player for each school and some interesting tidbits from the tournament.
| Category | COMA | PETERSON | MURRAY | PORTWOOD |
| Side out when receiving | 6/10-.600 | 13/15-.867 | 8/22-.364 | 8/16-.500 |
| 3+ Runs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Longest point string | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| SERVING | ||||
| First serve | 2 | 1 | ||
| Scoring on service | 6/11-.545 | 4/10-.400 | 2/10-.200 | 3/10-.300 |
| Service points | 16 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Serving % | 25/26-.962 | 13/15-.867 | 12/12-1.000 | 12/14-.857 |
| Pt generated off serve | .381 | .143 | .080 | .160 |
| STROKES | 92 | 94 | 101 | 74 |
| WINNERS | 14 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Aces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blocks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clears | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Drives | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Drops | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Soft drives | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Smashes | 5 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| SET UP POINTS | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| ERRORS | 4 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Deep | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Fan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Wide | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Serve | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| W:E Ratio | 3.500 | 1.100 | 0.625 | 0.556 |
| TEAM | ||||
| POINTS | 42 | 25 | ||
| Points after 11 | 20 | 11 | ||
| First points | 1, 2 | |||
| Longest side out string | 10 | 4 | ||
| Strokes per point | 4.429 | 7.000 | ||
| 5+ rallies | 17 | 13 | ||
| 2- rallies | 9 | 5 | ||
| Largest Lead | 5, 13 | 2, 1 | ||
| Margin | 8.500 | |||
| Set Point % | 2/2-1.000 | |||
| Time | 18:55 |