Adam Niemi | Iron Mountain Daily News Gladstone No. 1 doubles’ Taylor Trudeau hits the ball against Marquette during the Division 1 MHSAA UP Finals on Thursday in Kingsford. Trudeau and partner Sydney Herioux won the No. 1 doubles championship.

KINGSFORD — This is a habit the Negaunee girls wouldn’t mind keeping.

The Miners collected their fifth straight Upper Peninsula Division 1 tennis title Thursday, edging Marquette 15-13.

Third-place Menominee scored nine points, followed by Kingsford eight, Gladstone six and Escanaba two.

“We knew coming in that Marquette and Menominee would push us,” said Negaunee coach Kyle Saari. “We needed to get a number of our flights into the finals and we got 6-of-8 in, which put us in good position. You just have to focus on the job ahead of you once you get in.”

The Miners clinched the title with senior Maci Aho’s 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marquette’s Mollie Kilpela in No. 2 singles.

“I didn’t know our match was going to decide it,” said Aho, who won at No. 4 singles the past two seasons. “I tried not to worry about the team standings and focused on doing my job. I just sprinted to every ball and Mollie did the same. She’s a very good player. I don’t have a special shot. I just do what I do. I don’t know if I’ll be playing tennis in college, but I definitely want to keep playing even if I don’t play in college.”

Gladstone seniors Sydney Herioux and Taylor Trudeau outlasted Marquette’s Sydney Kivi and Ashlee Tripp 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 for the No. 1 doubles title.

Herioux and Trudeau trailed 4-1 in the third set, but tied the score when a shot by Kivi went too far.

Kivi-Tripp regained the lead (5-4) when the Braves’ duo was unable to return a shot prior to taking the next three points.

Gladstone junior Andie Balenger reached the No. 1 singles final where she dropped a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) decision to Marquette junior Elsya Olivier.

“She’s a real good player,” said Olivier, who won at No. 2 singles a year ago. “Andie has gotten so much better since the first time I played her. I was real nervous coming into the finals. There were times when I lost my focus. We both hit some great shots.

“The other players really stay on their game (in No. 1 singles). Next year won’t be a picnic, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’m definitely going to play over the summer.”

Olivier sealed the verdict on a groundstroke which proved unreturnable.

“I tried to make it interesting,” Balenger said shortly after finishing her third season. “I’ve become more confident in myself. Playing at No. 1 singles last year really helped. I had a better idea what to expect for sure. I moved the ball around very well, which is what the coaches wanted me to do. i”m just looking forward to next year. There’s always things to improve on and I plan on playing closer to the net next season.”

Negaunee sophomores Morgan Carlson and Katelyn Lammi completed a perfect season (21-0) with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Menominee’s Abbie Anglehart and Meghan Francour in No. 3 doubles for their first title on this sunny and cool day.

“I think it went pretty well,” said Lammi. “We didn’t play at our best, but we did well at the net. Winning here for the first time is a pretty big confidence boost.”

The Miners were facing the possibility of rebuilding after graduating seven from last year’s team.

“We’re pretty sophomore heavy, but every girl stepped up,” said Saari. “We just hope to keep it going as long as we can. This has been a fun year in the U.P. Each team presented a different challenge. The most important thing is the girls didn’t get complacent. They were able to stay focused.”

The summary:

Singles

No. 1 — Olivier, Mqt, def. Balenger, G, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5); No. 2 — Aho, N, def. Kilpela, Mqt, 6-1, 6-4; No. 3 — Nolde, Men, def. Skewis, N, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; No. 4 — Hofer, Men, def. Nelson, N, 6-0, 6-3.

Doubles

No. 1 — Trudeau-Herioux, G, def. Kivi-Tripp, Mqt, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5; No. 2 — Petscher-McCole, K, def. Tarvola-Yesney, N, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 — Carlson-Lammi, N, def. Anglehart-Francour, Men, 6-3, 6-3; No. 4 — McCarthy-Talbacka, Mqt, def. Menhenmick-Mason, N, 7-6, 7-1.