St. Joseph junior Amanda Dick qualified for the WIAA Division-2 State Individual Tennis Tournament for the third year in a row after placing second at No. 1 singles in Thursday’s Division-2 sectional at the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club in Jackson.

The seventh-ranked Lancers finished third with 28 points. Second-ranked University School won the meet with 56 points and Shorewood was second with 30.

Sixth-ranked Racine Prairie was fourth with 27 points.

“We had a few bumps in the road today but truly hung in there tough,” St. Joseph coach Gail Bedore said.

“We were happy as a team to place third.”

Dick, who placed fourth at State last season, won her first two matches in straight sets before losing to University School freshman Maddy Ecker in the final, 6-1, 6-1.

Three of Dick’s four losses this season have come against Ecker.

“We will know on Saturday if she is one of the top four seeds,” Bedore said about Dick (22-4).

The State Tournament is Oct. 15-17 at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

At No. 2 singles, St. Joseph senior Gina Matteucci (22-2) went 1-1 on the day.

She lost in the final to University School’s Saira Khanna, 7-5, 6-3.

Both of Matteucci’s losses this season have come against Khanna. Matteucci, a two-time State qualifier, will most likely be added to the State tourney field as a special qualifier.

At No. 2 doubles, St. Joseph’s Kristen Kalinka and Kelcy Owens defeated Shorewood’s Brie Keane and Ellen Gough, 6-4, 6-4, but lost in the final to University School’s Anne Scheid and Hannah Lubar, 6-2, 6-2.

Alaina Anderson and Megan Irving lost their only match at No. 1 doubles, while Bridget O’Toole went 0-2 at No. 4 singles.

Bedore said that both doubles teams have a chance to be added as special qualifiers.

Compiled by Andrew Horschak