Brookfield East goes back-to-back in WIAA girls state team tennis; Shorewood shocks in improbable title run

MADISON — For the fourth straight postseason, teams from the greater Milwaukee area have won the WIAA state team girls tennis championships in both Division 1 and Division 2.

No. 1 Brookfield East completed a dominant march to its second straight state title in D1, while Shorewood shocked Nielsen Tennis Stadium by becoming the first No. 4 seed to win the D2 title.

The Spartans rolled to their second straight title with victories over Westosha Central, Eau Claire Memorial and Neenah in the final, dropping just two of 21 total matches on the weekend.

Reigning D1 state individual champion Caroline Raster led the charge for the back-to-back champions, dropping just four total games in a 3-0 weekend. East’s No. 3 doubles pairing of Evelyn Schuenke and Dylan Szesterniak got the title match off to a promising start with a 7-5, 6-0 victory, and the Spartans never looked back.

Shorewood stunned top-seeded Edgewood in a 5-2 upset, becoming the first No. 4 seed to make it out of the semifinal round in D2. The Greyhounds continued and steamrolled their way to the title with a 6-1 victory over Altoona in the final, winning more matches in one day (11) than No. 4 seeds had won since 2017 combined in the current four-seed format. Misa Herriges followed up her third-place finish at the individual state tournament with a pair of victories at No. 1 singles to lead the charge for the underdogs.

‘The last one is the best one’ as Spartans go back-to-back in D1

There’s many sayings within the Brookfield East program. Some sayings may be their own. Some may be taken from a hit TV show (Ted Lasso) on Apple TV.

“The last one is the best one.”

“Winning is more fun.”

“Be a goldfish.”

For the Spartans, the last one was the best one during their path to another state title. Samantha Behling cried in her teammates’ arms after winning a key 6-3, 6-3 decision in the final over Neenah’s Lauren McDonald at No. 4 singles. Once her fellow senior and captain Caroline Raster finished off an easy 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles, it was time for one more hug.

“Last one, best one,” both exclaimed to each other as Raster tried to convince Behling and everyone else not to start crying as they stood together at one of the players lounge’s entrances.

“We have a few quotes that we use all the time,” Brookfield East coach Linda Lied said. “You’ll see some of the signs that say, ‘Be a goldfish’, ‘Winning is more fun’, We say, ‘Go have fun’, but winning is more fun.”

The Spartans went 19-2 to capture the gold for the second straight weekend. They may be the loosest bunch in the building and that’s in large part to their togetherness and even their own head coach.

“I skipped out one time to make (Sam) laugh,” Lied said in the midst of one of the stranger matches of the day.

A seven-minute dispute over the total point-keeping was made during Behling’s match at No. 4 singles, according to Lied’s timing. It was an odd happening, but it turned into a blessing in disguise for Lied, who used it as an opportunity to loosen up one of her senior leaders in the heat of the battle.

After Behling fell behind 2-3, she reeled off four straight games to win the set and then took the second set 6-3 for her second title clinch of the postseason after seizing the sectional title for East in a thriller over Arrowhead in the final.

“I went up to her and I was like, ‘OK, we need that smile out of you’ because she has to be confident and relaxed, and we didn’t want her to be tight.”

It was a perfect sign-off for Raster and Behling, who will depart the program as seniors. Last year, Lied said the group in the duo’s freshman year “was the worst team we’ve ever had.” Skip ahead three years and the Spartans are the queens of the court in D1 again, while Raster sits on the throne as state champion after a rugged path to the title the previous weekend.

“It was crazy,” Behling said on the run to another state title, while noting her own undefeated season at No. 4 singles for the Spartans. “That’s a great way to end. I was like, ‘Caroline, you literally had an undefeated season!’ You won the title and on top of that, the team state title. It’s just such a great way to end.”

Raster echoed her teammate and good friend’s thoughts on the end of what’s been a wild ride for the duo.

“As captains too, it feels so good to see our team succeed like this,” Raster said.

Shorewood shocks No. 1 Edgewood, becomes first No. 4 seed to win D2 state team title

Since the WIAA moved to four-seed brackets in the Division 2 state team tournament in 2017, No. 4 seeds came into the weekend with a combined 0-8 record in team matches with an overall record in those eight matches of 6-50.

That was until Shorewood showed in Madison for the first time in program history.

The Greyhounds upset No. 1 seed Edgewood with a 5-2 victory and then on the back of its semifinal momentum, captured the first state title in program history with a 6-1 win over Altoona, who took care of No. 2 St. Mary Catholic in the other semifinal.

Behind its star Misa Herriges, the Greyhounds swept the singles matches against Altoona with Milja Aguirre (6-2, 6-2), Sophia Eckman (7-6 (5), 6-1) and Esme Kleban (6-1, 6-2) all winning in straight sets.

“They’re fierce and they’ve worked hard as a group,” Shorewood coach Eric Nielsen said. “They have all gotten better and everyone of them … it takes the whole team to win one of these things. We’re deep, but most importantly, they’re a team.

“It’s hard to have a team in tennis because it’s an individual sport, but this team really came together and that pushed them over the top.”

Nielsen was immensely happy for the entire coaching staff and players, one in particular.

Herriges, the program’s shining star individually the last few seasons, wasn’t happy with her second-round exit at state as a junior last postseason. So, what did the senior leader do? She got a job at Old Navy to help pay for some extra private lessons and continue to up her game for her final season at Shorewood.

“Honestly, I started out seasonal and then I just kinda stayed,” Herriges said with a laugh on her job. “I was able to start playing once a week again and then it kinda built up from there. I’ve taken a break from working a little bit now, but with my job, I knew I needed a little bit for tennis, but it was mostly to keep building for my future as well.”

“It took everybody” as Nielsen exclaimed multiple times, but his praise for Herriges’ hard work was endless.

“We don’t do any of this stuff without her. She’s been our MVP,” Nielsen said. “She has carried us and shown us how to be better. She’s a great individual. She’s one of our captains and she has pushed us to be better.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield East, Shorewood win titles in WIAA state team girls tennis