Published: October 02, 2008 11:34 pm      

Richland senior earns spot in final

ALTOONA — Richland’s Annika Bethan advanced to the final of the District 6 Class AA Singles Championships at Procare Health and Fitness/Summit Tennis and Athletic Club.

The second-seeded Bethan, a foreign exchange student from Germany, defeated Somerset’s Kelsey Harris 6-1, 6-1, in Thursday’s Round of 16. She beat Bishop Guilfoyle’s Rachel Rea, 6-2, 6-0, in the quarterfinals, and advanced past Westmont’s Julia Asel, 6-0, 6-0, in the semifinals.

“She made it look easy. She always kept her cool. She’s just a very easy-going kind of girl so she just went out there and kept doing it,” Richland coach Mary Maceyko said. “It’s great.”

In Saturday’s title match, Bethan, a senior, will face top-seeded Allison Kristofco of Bishop Guilfoyle at 10 a.m. at the Leopold Rec Center in Altoona. Kristofco defeated Bethan in the regular season in a third set super tiebreaker (6-4, 6-7,10-5).

“It will be neck-and-neck,” Maceyko said. “They’re very equally matched. I’m suspecting it will come down to the third set.”

Asel advanced to the semifinals by defeating Central Cambria’s Samantha Kemock, 6-2, 6-1, in the Round of 16 and Forest Hills’ Wendy Wall 6-1, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.

The Class AAA tournament gets under way today with the first round at 9 a.m. Johnstown’s Alisha Boerstler meets Hollidaysburg’s Natalie Khalouf and Trojans teammate Katy Landis faces Central Mountain’s Chelsey Williams.