ST. PETER -- Two days after Benson qualified for the state tournament as a team, three members of the squad will also playing in the individual state tournament.
Junior Mackenzie Weber and freshman Abby Fragodt paired to win the doubles title, while senior Jill Hagestuen fell to No. 1 seed and unbeaten Madeline Gail of Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd in the singles final Thursday at the Section 3A tournament at Gustavus Adolphus College.
The Class A individual tournament starts Oct. 27 -- 8 a.m. for singles and 10 a.m. for doubles -- at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis, also the same site for the Class A team tournament that begins Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. for Benson.
Gail successfully defended her title as she upended Hagestuen in straight sets (6-2, 6-1), which was the same way Gail won last year.
Gail, a senior, opened by beating Megan Seipel of New London-Spicer 6-2, 6-3, while Hagestuen beat Madeline's twin sister, Melanie, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal match.
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Both of the doubles semifinals saw Weber-Fragodt (6-2, 6-4 over Sam Gacke-Alyssa Klein of Luverne) and Alissa Mattison-Sam Boushek of Redwood Valley (7-5, 6-4 over Becky Meyer-Ashley Forstrom of MACCRAY) win in straight sets.
Mattison-Boushek took the first set from Weber-Fragodt in the championship match, but the Benson duo then bounced back and won 6-1, 6-4 to close out the match. It was the first time that Benson won the doubles title at the section tournament.
Mattison-Boushek then beat Gacke-Klein in the true-second match to also qualify for the state tournament.
Singles
SEMIFINALS -- Madeline Gail, LQPV/DB, def. Megan Seipel, NLS, 6-2, 6-3 ... Jill Hagestuen, Ben, def. Melanie Gail, LQPV/DB, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
CHAMPIONSHIP -- Madeline Gail def. Jill Hagestuen 6-2, 6-1
THIRD PLACE -- Melanie Gail def. Megan Seipel, scores not available
Doubles
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SEMIFINALS -- Alissa Mattison-Sam Boushek, RV, def. Becky Meyer-Ashley Forstrom, MAC, 7-5, 6-4 ... Mackenzie Weber-Abby Fragodt, Ben, def. Sam Gacke-Alyssa Klein, Luv, 6-2, 6-4
CHAMPIONSHIP -- Mackenzie Weber-Abby Fragodt def. Alissa Mattison-Sam Boushek 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
TRUE SECOND -- Alissa Mattison-Sam Boushek def. Sam Gacke-Alyssa Klein 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
THIRD PLACE -- Sam Gacke-Alyssa Klein def. Becky Meyer-Ashley Forstrom 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
