Dolphin tennis teams state-bound
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

For the second time in three years, Gulf Breeze High will be sending both of its teams to the state tournament.

GBHS qualified for the tournament, which concluded Wednesday (after the News' deadline), after posting wins in two regional matches last week.

The boys team defeated Wakulla and Catholic by identical 7-0 scores, while the girls beat Live Oak Suwannee 7-0 and Catholic 5-2.

The girls team played first on Friday, with Jackie Kasler and Jen Pfeifler winning their number one doubles match 6-0, 6-0 in less than 40 minutes. The pair won the number one and two singles matches respectively by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores.

Cookie Echsner and Ali Gilmartin followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win in number two doubles. Zoe Miller, playing number four singles, lost her first set 6-1 and rallied from 4-1 down in the second set to tie it at 4-4 before losing 6-4.

Echsner lost her match in number five singles, while Gilmartin, at number three, lost her first set to Gulf Breeze resident Haley Bookout before Bookout had to retire in the second set due to illness, despite having a 4-1 lead at the time.

Jason Thompson/Gulf Breeze News Swinging for state A.J. Anastopoulo (left), Ali Gilmartin (right) and their GBHS tennis teammates will be competing at state this week.

Clay Pfeifler, playing number four singles, posting the first win for the Dolphins. A.J. Anastopoulo followed with a win at number one singles before LaBruce Miller won at number five.

Reid Tidwell and Gus Anastopoulo, playing number two and three, respectively, had the toughest matches of the day. Anastopoulo won a first set tiebreaker 7-0 and had to win 10 straight points late in the match to post a 7-5 win in the second set.

Tidwell won his first set with Diego Figueroa before Figueroa tied it by winning set two 6-3. Tidwell broke serve with a double fault to make it 6-5 in the third set before winning 7-5.

The following is a recap of both day's matches:

Dolphins 7, Catholic 0

AJ Anastopoulo (GB) def Josh Schultz 6-4, 6-3

Reid Tidwell (GB) def Diego Figueroa 7-5, 3-6, 7-5

Gus Anastopoulo (GB) def Steele Mathis 7-6 (7-0), 7-5

Clay Pfeifler (GB) def Chris Tolan 6-1, 6-0

LaBruce Miller (GB) def Max Rankin 6-1, 6-2

A. Anastopoulo/Tidwell (GB) def Schultz/Mathis 8-1

Pfeifler/Miller (GB) def Tolan/Figueroa 9-7

Lady Dolphins 5, Catholic 2

Jackie Kasler (GB) def Morgan Hall (C) 6-0, 6-0

Jennifer Pfeifler (GB) def Whitney Ponson 6-0, 6-0

Ali Gilmartin (GB) def Haley Bookout (C) 4-6, 4-1 retired

Emily Norton (C) def Zoe Miller (GB) 6-1, 6-4

Caroline Kane (C) def Cookie Echsner (GB) 6-4, 6-1

Kasler/Pfeifler (GB) def Hall/Ponson (C) 6-0, 6-0

Echsner/Gilmartin (GB) def Bookout/Kane (C) 6-2, 6-2

Dolphins 7,Wakulla 0

AJ Anastopoulo (GB) def Jared Lowe (W) 6-2, 6-1

Reid Tidwell (GB) def Will Harvey (W) 6-3, 6-3

Gus Anastopoulo (GB) def Caleb Fisher (W) 6-2, 6-1

Clay Pfeifler (GB) def Rhett Harvey 6-2, 6-3

LaBruce Miller (GB) def Brett Wilson 6-1, 6-0

A. Anastopoulo/Tidwell (GB) def Lowe/W. Harvey 6-1, 6-2

Pfeifler/Miller (GB) def Fisher/Wilson 6-3, 6-1

Lady Dolphins 7, Suwannee 0

Jackie Kasler (GB) def Sydnie Sine (S) 6-0, 6-0

Jennifer Pfeifler (GB) def Lauren Michal (S) 6-0, 6-1

Ali Gilmartin (GB) def Tori Henderson (S) 6-0, 6-0

Zoe Miller (GB) def Kathrine Haney (S) 6-3, 6-1

Cookie Echsner (GB) def Sara Hurst (S) 6-0, 6-0

Kasler/Pfeifler (GB) def Sine/Michal 6-0, 6-0

Echsner/Gilmartin (GB) def Henderson/Hurst 6-0, 6-1