By Pat Ruff
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

MINNEAPOLIS This had been the dream for Jory Kircher and Mary Ellen Donovan, to end their tennis careers in the state doubles championship.

A gallery of photos from the match

The Rochester Century seniors did that Friday. The tears that they showed after falling 6-1, 6-4 in the title match at the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center had almost nothing to do with the final score. Instead they had almost everything to do with having their high school tennis careers end.

This was the third time that Kircher and Donovan had played doubles together at state. Their previous high finish was fourth, as sophomores.

Landing second left them elated. But what showed most was how much this entire Century tennis experience had meant to them.

"It's just the girls on this team, and being a part of everything," said Kircher, fighting to compose herself. "And Mary Ellen and I have played (doubles) together for four years. It's tough to see that end."

Those four years obviously brought a synergy to their efforts. Never did it show any more than in this tournament.

But in the finals, against Eden Prairie's Makenna Borg and Maddie Buxton, they finally met their match. The Century seniors knew it would be tough against them, particularly considering what a special talent Borg is. The senior had made it all the way to the singles finals last year.

Their pre-match assessment of Borg and Buxton came true. They were a handful.

"Their aggressiveness is what really stood out," said Kircher, after she and Donovan fell 6-1, 6-4. "And in the first set, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves."

Kircher and Donovan have been notorious for their slow starts. Their first match of the entire tournament went three sets, after losing 6-3 in the opening one. It was the same thing in the semifinals Friday morning, when they needed three sets to beat Mollie Meldahl and Caroline Ward of Edina 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4 tie-breaker). All of the energy spent there didn't help their cause.

Kircher and Donovan were a trifle spent once it came time for the championship match 45 minutes later.

"We were both pretty tired," Donovan said. "When the (semifinals were over), we just ate and sat there, recovering."

No amount of refueling would likely have made the difference against Borg/Buxton. They were just too good.

Still, coming up short in the finals isn't what had Donovan and Kircher teary-eyed. It was bidding goodbye to this entire experience that did them in.

• Rochester Mayo's Emilie Renault finished her illustrious career on a winning note. Renault, ranked second in the state, had the unfortunate circumstance of drawing No. 1 ranked and defending state singles champion Aria Lambert of Minnetonka in the first round.

Renault, ranked second, lost that one, but then won her next three matches all in straight sets to finish as consolation champion.

"It was a tough week (with Mayo ousted on the first day of the team tournament), so it was really nice to end this way," Renault said. "It feels good to go out with a win."

SINGLES

Semifinals: Kelsey Frechette (Century) def. Patty Zhao (Maple Grove) 6-2, 6-2; Aria Lambert (Minnetonka) def. Katie Jesperson (Elk River) 6-0, 6-1. Finals: Lambert (Minnetonka) def. Frechette (Century) 6-3, 6-3. Third place: Jesperson (Elk River) def. Zhao (Maple Grove) 6-2, 6-0. Consolation semifinals: Emilie Renault (Mayo) def. Virginia Norder (Rosemount) 6-0, 6-2; Cassandra Brown (Elk River) def. Natalie Phippen (Stillwater) 6-4, 6-4. Consolation finals: Renault (Mayo) def. Brown (Elk River) 6-2, 6-3.

DOUBLES

Semifinals: Mary Ellen Donovan/Jory Kircher (Century) def. Mollie Meldahl/Caroline Ward (Edina) 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4); Makenna Borg/Maddie Buxton (Eden Prairie) def. Kelly Humphrey/Laurel Krebsbach (Mounds View) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). Finals: Borg/Buxton (Eden Prairie) def. Donovan/Kircher (Century) 6-1, 6-4.

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