Middleton’s Abbey Webber and Kaisey Skibba win Division 1 doubles title

Abbey Webber has a vivid memory of the first time she and Kaisey Skibba started talking about playing tennis together.

Middleton seniors Webber and Skibba owned the net in their Division 1 doubles final at the WIAA state individual girls tennis tournament at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

“Normally, I don’t play that aggressively at the net,” said Skibba, who qualified for state as a singles player her first three years before joining forces with Webber this season.

Before the season, Cardinals coach Deke Bradley believed Webber and Skibba could contend for a state doubles title, which Middleton most recently won in 1982 with Jill Karofsky and Kristin Moe).

Webber and Skibba (25-1) defeated third-seeded Emily Pepperl and Devon Bourget of Eau Claire Memorial 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinal, before facing the Nicolet duo (33-4), who upset top-seeded Sara Geschke and Kali Flesch of Hartland Arrowhead in the other semifinal.

Sun Prairie senior Dao Sysouvanh’s bid to capture the Division 1 singles title ended with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to top-seeded Emily Luetschwager (35-0), a junior from Stevens Point, in the final.

The second-seeded Sysouvanh (35-2) and Luetschwager became friends through tennis when Sysouvanh was 11 and have played numerous matches against each other, including a state consolation bracket match last year.

Molitor’s sister, Morgan, and Lauren Keller were Division 2 state doubles champions for Edgewood in 2012.

Joseph Catholic Academy junior Claire Czerwonka (28-1), the second seed, defended her Division 2 singles title with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory