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Day, Vesikallio & McNally Clinch Bids to States

By Joe Ginley '12 , 05/18/19, 9:15PM EDT

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Three Wildcats will be headed to the State Tournament next week.

Nate Day, Kai Vesikallio, and Jack McNally all earned trips to Cincinnati by winning matches on Saturday.

Day will be making his second appearance. Meanwhile, Vesikallio and McNally will be making their debuts. For Vesikallio, it could be the first of several trips, but for McNally, it will be his final time wearing the blue and gold.

Day entered the day needing a win in his opening match to punch his ticket. Day lost in the second round on Thursday, dropping to the consolation bracket. Day found himself matched up with Grant Jones, the top seed from the Medina bracket. The Roosevelt player provided a fight, but Day was a man on a mission. The sophomore burst out of the gate, rolling to a 6-2 victory in the first set. Day played even better in the second stanza, parading to a 6-1 win. His triumph sent him onto the fifth-place match against a tough foe – Aaron Lee of Solon. 

Day put forth an even better performance in his second match of the day. Day shut out his foe from Solon in the first set, 6-0, and did almost as well in the second set. Day captured a 6-1 win to earn fifth for the match.

Meanwhile, Vesikallio and McNally also needed a triumph in their first doubles match to earn a States bid. The duo fought against Raj and Ram Kumar, a dynamic duo from Revere. The two Minutemen triumphed in the opening set, 6-2, spelling potential doom for the Wildcats. But Vesikallio and McNally adjusted and played better in the second set. They were rewarded with a victory, 6-1. The Kumar's continued to provide a steep battle in the third set, but Vesikallio and McNally won the day, 6-2.

The win set up a battle with Anthony and Alex Payiaylas of Warren G. Harding. The dup also eliminated Kenny Li and Thomas Deucher. Unfortunately for Vesikallio and McNally, the Payiaylas's had their number, too. The Harding duo squeezed by in the first set, 6-4, before managing a more convincing 6-1 win in the second set. 

Next weekend, the Saint Ignatius trio will make the long trek to Mason to the Linder Tennis Center. The State Tournament starts on Friday and continues on Saturday. 

Look for this excellent trio of Tennis Cats to make some noise in the Queen City.