Coughlin-Koskiniemi land a third

MINNEAPOLIS - Skye Coughlin finished her varsity career with at third-place state finish and left junior Emma Koskiniemi with a wealth of knowledge for next year.

The Staples-Motley Cardinals duo defeated Darci Johnson-Juia Runge of St. James 6-1, 6-2 in the third-place match of the Class 1A state doubles tournament Friday at the Reed Sweatt Tennis Center.

Coughlin, a senior, and Koskiniemi, a junior, begain the day with a 6-0, 6-3 loss to Kate Roach and Amber Washington of Mounds Park Academy. Roach-Washington went on to win the state title by beating Emily Alper-Sunny Tang of Breck 6-1, 6-3.

"It was fun," said Coughin. "Last month I was talking with my dad (coach Kevin Coughlin) and said it would be fun to go out with a win. I was talking more about the team, but I guess we did it both ways."

Staples-Motley also finished with a win as a team when they took the state consolation championship Wednesday.

"They (Coughlin-Koskiniemi) got beat by the eventual state champs in the semis," said Kevin Coughlin. "They were a little overmatched by a strong team, but played real well.

"They pretty much dominated the last match. They controlled the court, got to the net and did a nice job. It was fun and impressive."

The semifinal match with Roach-Washington was a repeat encounter from last year when the Mounds Park Academy duo eliminated Coughlin-Koskiniemi in the secound round of the state tournament.

Individual doubles

Third-place match: Skye Coughln-Emma Koskiniemi (Staples-Motley) def. Darci Johnson-Julia Runge (St. James) 6-1, 6-2

Semifinal: Kate Roach-Amber Washington (Mounds Park Academy) def. Coughln-Koskiniemi (S-M) 6-0, 6-3