'I am very proud of us': Shelby's Carver, Mahek ready for OHSAA State Tennis Tournament

SHELBY — After beating Sandusky St. Mary's Central Catholic 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the Division II district quarterfinals, Shelby juniors Annie Mahek and Bella Carver locked eyes.

Neither said a word for a second as they were both still trying to process what had just happened. With the win, the Whippet doubles team qualified for the Division II state tournament and just had to play a couple of days later to determine a seed spot.

When it finally clicked, the celebration was on. But what they still didn't know was just how historic their accomplishment truly was. They were the first Shelby doubles team to qualify for state in 30 years joining Lori Felter and Tiffany LaSusa as the only doubles teams to qualify for state in program history.

High School Girls Tennis: Mahek, Carver qualify for Division II state tennis tournament after third place at districts

They were also the first Shelby tennis players to make it to state in 15 years after Jordyn Parrigan earned a singles spot in 2008.

"It is so tough to make it there," Veteran Shelby coach Jeff Kurtzman said. "Most of our girls don't start playing tennis until they are freshmen and they are going against girls who have been playing all their lives so it makes it tough to catch up. But Bella and Annie have put in so much work to get there. We spend a week in the summer in Tennesse and get some lessons from some pros and they really soaked in everything they could to apply it to now."

Carver and Mahek join a short list of Shelby tennis state qualifiers. In 1991, Angie Felter became the program's first state qualifier as a singles player dropping her opening match at state 6-0, 6-0. The following year, Lori Felter joined LaSusa as the first state-qualifying doubles team in program history but fell in their first set 6-3, 6-4. They made a repeat appearance in 1993 becoming the first Whippets to ever record a win at state when they beat Erika Sandor and Lori Shulman of Gates Mills Hawken 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) before falling to Lisa Stephens and Carrie Bender of Canfield, the eventual state runners-up, 6-2, 7-5.

They remain the only Whippets to ever win at state as Parrigan dropped her first match in 2008 to Lauren Davis of Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 6-0, 6-0.

While they have already accomplished more than most who have played tennis at Shelby, Carver and Mahek wouldn't mind making a little more history.

"Hearing the previous years of people making it to state and it being 15 years since anyone has done this is special," Carver said. "It is neat that we get to experience this."

It has been a long time coming for Mahek who has been a frequent flyer in the district tournament, but never made it to state until now.

"It is really cool because I have been to the district tournament three years in a row and to make it out is amazing," Mahek said. "We went last year together and played well, but this year, we have picked it up. I am very proud of us.

"We have practiced so hard, but I think the difference is the chemistry we have on the court. Traditionally, we are two singles players, but special things happen when we come together to form a team. We just have it."

The Tough Road to State

It was far from easy for Carver and Mahek.

Both are regularly singles players during the season. Mahek is the No. 1 singles player while Carver takes the reps at third singles. They led the Whippets to the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 11-0 league mark and a sweep of the MOAC tournament. It was their fourth straight MOAC title.

But it was far from perfect. Carver nursed a nagging knee injury with a stretched meniscus and missed some time midway through the year. She plays with a brace on her left knee but is able to suck it up when it comes time to perform for her team.

"It started at the beginning of last year and got progressively worse toward the middle of the season so I had to take a break and recover," Carver said. "It will still hurt sometimes, but it isn't anything I can't overcome. The brace helps a lot, but in my mind, the pain is part of the process and the work is all worth it in the end."

Then came tournament time. The two were paired together for the second consecutive year and they cruised to the finals of the sectional tournament where they played a marathon match against Lexington's Malaina Wolfe and Ulo Ezike winning 5-7  7-5, 7-5. That was an important win because had they lost, they would have been pitted against eventual district champion Ottawa Hills in the quarterfinals of the district tournament and might not have qualified for state with that route.

At districts, there was another tough road. Carver and Mahek cruised to a win in the first round beating Celina's Elise Muether and Isabelle Thobe 6-2, 6-2 before drawing SMCC. After winning the first set with ease 6-1, they lost the second set 3-6 and found themselves down 1-4 in the third set before mounting an incredible comeback to win 6-4 and clinch a state qualifying spot.

"I always say we look great the first five games and the last five games," Kurtzman said with a laugh. "We won the first five and the first set 6-1 and then it got kind of ugly down 4-1 before clicking it on and winning the last five straight. They got ahead and that was when the nerves kicked in and they got kind of tight, but when they got down 4-1, we talked and they realized they had absolutely nothing to lose and they should just go for it. It worked."

It absolutely did. And it gave the girls a boost of confidence. After losing their semifinal match to Lima Central Catholic's Libby Simmons and Claire Janoswski 6-0, 6-3, Carver and Mahek earned a key win in the consolation round beating Port Clinton's Reagan Ruthsatz and Grace Arnold 6-3, 6-4 to give them the No. 3 seed out of the Northwest District and a bit more of a favorable draw at state. Instead of getting the Central Districts' No. 1 seed, Carver and Mahek play the No. 2 seed Grace Philip and Sophie Wu of Gahanna Columbus Academy.

And just like in the sectional championship and the district quarterfinals, the girls are ready to make something special happen.

"We have had a couple of matches where it didn't look very good, but we pulled through," Carver said. "We have proven that we can be persistent and make things happen."

"It shows that we can overcome a lot in the moment," Mahek said. "We may panic a little bit, but we always seem to calm each other down and get back to our game."

And like Kurtzman told his girls when they were down 1-4 with their backs against the wall in the third set of the district quarterfinal, they really have nothing to lose on Thursday at the state tournament at the College of Wooster.

"We have nothing to lose," Kurtzman said. "When I look at the names in the tournament, there are only about four schools like Shelby, Port Clinton, Marietta and Canfield but all the rest are the traditional powerhouses like Indian Hills, Pepper Pike Orange, Hathaway Brown and Columbus Academy. So, we have nothing to lose going into this. They are flying under the radar and if they can go in underestimated, they can make some good things happen and maybe make the other team panic a little bit."

The support is top-notch

Carver and Mahek go into Thursday's state tournament with an entire town and county behind them. Mainly, their families will be there to cheer them on and it is because of those families they are here.

Carver and her father, Andy, who played for the Whippets in high school and went on to play college tennis while Mahek will be representing her sister, Grace, who played for the Whippets and was the MOAC Player of the Year in 2021 and s now playing at Cedarville University.

"Bella works a lot with her father and Annie spends a lot of time playing against her sister," Kurtzman said. "These girls have worked so hard and come to practice every day with a great attitude. If they get down, they always pull each other out of it."

Mahek is excited to have her sister in attendance on Thursday.

High School Girls Tennis: Three individuals, two doubles teams highlight Richland County district tennis qualifiers

"I never played with her because we just didn't play well together," Mahek said. "Not that we didn't get along, but we were just completely different players on the court. But she is so encouraging and I love her. She is such a role model for me and she was one of the first people who called me when we qualified. She will be there Thursday and I am very excited to see her there."

The Division II state tournament begins at 9 a.m. Thursday with the Division I singles followed by the Division II singles, Division I doubles and finally, the Division II doubles.

With a win, Carver and Mahek could become the first All-Ohioans in program history. If that happens and the two juniors lock their eyes, it won't take long for them to realize what just happened.

jfurr@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shelby's Bella Carver and Annie Mahek to play in OHSAA State Tennis tournament