Cianciolas advance; state golf washed out

Staff report

MASON

Canfield’s Division I doubles team of Hannah Cianciola and Sydney Cianciola advanced to the state tennis semifinals with two victories on Friday.

At the Linder Family Tennis Center, the Canfield sisters team defeated teams from Upper Arlington and Cincinnati Ursuline Academy.

This is the first year that the sisters have been paired. Hannah, a senior, is making her fourth trip to state in doubles. It’s the first time her Canfield team has advanced to the final day of the state tournament.

In Friday’s first match, Canfield defeated Upper Arlington’s Evelyn Holman and Nicole Holman by scores of 6-0, 6-0.

In the second match, Canfield won over Ursuline Academy’s Ellie Fister and Gabriella O’Connor by scores of 6-1 7-6 (8-6).

Today, Canfield will take on the winner of a quarterfinal match between Walsh Jesuit’s Caroline Dickinson-Megan Hissong and North Canton Hoover’s Hallie Hunt-Alessa Koinoglou.

GOLF

COLUMBUS

The high school girls Division I state golf tournament was under way for about 90 minutes on Friday on Ohio State’s Gray course.

It was no day at the beach.

“Weather has taken control,” Canfield coach Diane McCall said after the first day of the two-day tournament was rained out. “Players came back in talking about how lakes and streams were [popping up] on the course.”

Hannah Keffler, Canfield’s state qualifier, was about 20 minutes away from teeing off when the tournament was suspended. At noon, the day was declared over.

“Some of the girls played five or six holes,” McCall said. “We had hoped it was going to stop raining.

“The rain was steady and it wasn’t light,” McCall said. “It was pretty miserable to be out there.”

Tournament officials decided to make the state final a one-day event that will begin today at 10 a.m., an hour later than Friday’s start. The reason? Frost is in the forecast for Columbus.

McCall said sun and wind are being forecast for today’s 18-hole event, with temperatures in the low 50s.

After warming up, the Canfield contingent ventured to the Polaris Mall where they ran into Boardman’s Jacinta Pikunas and Brittany Jonda.

Pikunas, last year’s state runner-up, also is competing in the girls tournament. Jonda, Pikunas’ teammate, is also supporting her brother Bobby, a member of the Boardman boys team that qualified for the tournament at OSU’s Scarlet course.

The boys tournament also was rained out and has become a one-day tournament.

Boardman’s other golfers are Cade Kreps, Cole Christman, Brian Terlesky and Bryan Kordupel.

McCall said delays and cancellations are all part of golf. The one frustration is that the golfers will get just one competitive day on the Ohio State courses.

“It’s disappointing to not be able to have the enjoyment of playing two days on the course,” McCall said.