The Munising Mustangs tennis team was able to peak at the right time, as a long season ended with a strong third-place finish at the MHSAA U.P. Division 2 finals.

“This team is full of character and they fought through the difficulties together,” said co-coach Richard Prunick, Jr.. “The whole team stepped up, all the way down to the JV players.”

Munising took points in five of eight total flights, including all four doubles tournaments. The pairings of Tessa Salo and Emmy Crisp in No. 3 Doubles and Tamryn Nolan and Lauren Nelson in No. 4 Doubles scored the most points for the team, as both made the finals, but both lost to their opponents from Ishpeming.

After a strong performance at the GNC finals last week, Callie Britton continued to score points for the Mustangs in the singles brackets. She defeated Norway’s Tori Trudeau in three sets to advance to the semi finals, before losing to Ishpeming’s Lilly Ryan in straight sets.

Bouncing back from the GNC’s last-place performance was important to the Mustangs, who have had problems with practice schedules, rainouts and lack of facilities all season. But Prunick said getting into a rhythm made a difference for Munising.

“Reps, reps and more reps,” he said. “We knew that the GNC has most of the top tennis players in the U.P. and that we weren’t far off in our division for U.P.’s. So we polished what we had and told the kids that it was time for all the tough experiences we’ve had throughout the year to pay off. They most definitely delivered.”

The Munising Mustang tennis team celebrates after its podium finish at the MHSAA U.P. Division 2 State Championships.