Minnesota State Handball Association

Minnesota State Handball Association
2014 Open Doubles State Handball Championships
April 7-8, 2014
University of Minnesota Rec. Center, Minneapolis, MN

The competition was hot with six of the trophy matches going to tie-breakers.  Comebacks and turn-a-rounds throughout the tournament made for some great handball entertainment at this years version of the state Open Doubles competition. Champions were crowned in five divisions with a lot of the hardware heading south to Mankato.  The recently expanded and remodeled University of Minnesota RecCenter once again proved to be a great venue for championship handball.

In the Open, Andy Nett and John Nett extended their streak with a fifth straight championship with a win over Ryan and Bruce Pesch.  The finals were historic as two father-son teams competed in the championship match for the first time in MSHA history. Only one team, Mat Langhorst and Tom Bowman scored in double figures on the Netts.  Andy was definitely on his game in the finals shooting from either side, blistering his serves and keeping the Pesch duo off-balance.  The Pesch team had a much tougher road to the finals wining tie-breakers in the quarterfinals against Mike Wells and John Stoffel and then again in the semifinals against Mike Gustafson and Tim Kappes.  Ryan demonstrated his patience in understanding the other teams strengths and weaknesses in the first two games and then attacking in the tie-breakerwinning each at 11-2.  Gustafson and Kappes took third place in an entertaining three-game match against Langhorst and Bowman.

The first round losers in the Open played for the A championship.  Mike Wells and John Stoffel took the honors pretty much dominating their way into the finals. While second place team Chris Iverson and Marc Tobin (forced into the A’s when Tobin’s flight into town was delayed Friday night) barely got to play before the finals.  So one team was on their forth match and one was on their second.  Wells and Stoffel still dominated winning 21-13, 21-12.  That tie-breaker loss to the Peschs in the Open stung a little.  Nick Olson and Dane Swanson took third place in a close three game match over Joe Van Thomme and David Miller.  The youngsters really show that handball is alive and well in Minnesota. 

Bailey Chandler and Kara Smith could not repeat in the B Doubles this year.  Last year’s runner up father-son team of John and Steve Laliberte finally broke through defeating Tikhon Esaulenko and Joe Nordahl for the title.  Chandler and Smith claimed third place over Jessica Bohlken (playing in both the B and C divisions) and partner Matt Johnson.  Dean Held and Mike Leiter proved experience can defeat youth beating Ted Spencer and John Thompson in a tie-breaker for consolation honors.

Kristina Rude teamed with Ali Miller to defeat Steve Gering and Adrian Anderson for the C Doubles title.   This Kristina’s second C title in a row – time to move up! Josh Hoflock and Shannon Strand took third again this year against Brady Grimm and court rat Jessica Bohlken.  Alex Meyer and Matt Date took consolation honors defeating new Jessica Herion and Missy Kohout.

Ray Miller (a last minute replacement for the injured Sheldon Silberman) and Larry Larson mastered the Golden Masters A defeating Brett Broxey and Hank Ulrich who returned from several medical issues over the past year.  Larson and Miller took the difficult route playing a 2-1/2 hour match against Mike Kloos and Brian Cooncein the semifinals and turning around in half an hour to play a 2 hour match against Broxey and Ulrich – we think they were unhappy with their first round BYE and wanted to get their moneys worth by playing tie-breakers all day.  Learn how to shoot Ray!  Coonce and Kloos came out shooting and overwhelmed Mike Erdmacczyk and Tim Fichtel for third place.  Greg Taylor and Brian Mahaffy, warming up for the Super Masters in two weeks took consolation in a lengthy three-gamer against Adlaberto Cordero and Ed Simonet.

Open (A drop-down) Doubles
Preliminary Round

• Matt Dobbins (Oakdale)/Steven Tamminga (Minneapolis) def. David Miller (St. Paul)/Joe Van Thomme (Minneapolis) 21-15, 21-9
• Tom Bowman (Chanhassen)/Mat Langhorst (Minneapoli) def. Sergio Gonzalez (Oakdale)/David Hermes 21-13, 21-10 
• Bruce Pesch (Ames)/Ryan Pesch (Minneapolis) def. Billy Craig (Mapleton)/Jerad Michels (Mankato) 21-19, 21-10
• Matt Job (Mankato)/Ricky Ness (Mankato) def. Chris Iverson (Minneapolis)/Marc Tobin (Inver Grove Heights) forfeit 

Quarterfinals

• Andy Nett (Minneapolis)/John Nett (Winona) def. Dobbins/Tamminga 21-5, 21-8
• Bowman/Langhorst def. Nick Olson (Falcon Heights)/Dane Swanson (St. Paul) 21-8, 21-7
• Pesch/Pesch def. John Stoffel (North Mankato)/Mike Wells (Good Thunder) 10-21, 21-19, 11-2
• Mike Gustafson (Otsego)/Tim Kappes (Maplewood) def. Job/Ness 21-18, 21-12

Semifinals

• Nett/Nett def. Bowman Langhorst 21-7, 21-13
• Pesch/Pesch def. Gustafson/Kappes 21-4, 20-21, 11-2

Finals

• Nett/Nett def. Pesch/Pesch 21-9, 21-2

Third Place

• Gustafson/Kappes def. Bowman Langhorst 13-21, 21-13, 11-7

A Doubles (drop down)
Quarterfinals

• Olson/Swanson def. Craig/Michels 21-8, 21-13
• Iverson/Tobin def. Dobbins/Tamminga injury forfeit
• Van Thomme/Miller def. Job/Ness 21-20, 21-9
• Wells/Stoffel def. Hermes/Gonzalez 21-3, 21-13

Semifinals

• Iverson/Tobin def. Olson/Swanson 21-6, 21-17
• Wells/Stoffel def. Van Thomme/Miller 21-0, 21-17

Finals

• Wells/Stoffel def. Iverson/Tobin 21-13, 21-12

Third Place

• Olson/Swanson def. Van Thomme/Miller 21-18, 10-21, 11-9

Consolation

• Job/Ness def. Craig/Michels 21-12, 21-12

B Doubles
Quarterfinals

•  Bailey Chandler (Minneapolis)/Kara Smith (Minneapolis) BYE
• Tikhon Esaulenko (Plymouth)/Joe Nordahl (Mankato) def. Dean Held (Chanhassen)/Mike Leiter (Eden Prairie) 21-7, 13-21, 11-2
• John Laliberte (Shoreview)/Stephen Laliberte (White Bear Lake) def. Ted Spencer (Minneapolis)/John Thompson (Shoreview) 21-16, 21-7
• Jessica Bohlken (Hastings)/Matthew L. Johnson (New Brighton) BYE

Semifinals

• Esaulenko/Nordahl def. Chandler/Smith 21-19, 21-15
• Laliberte/Laliberte def. Bohlken/Johnson 21-6, 21-2

Finals

• Laliberte/Laliberte def. Esaulenko/Nordahl 21-12, 21-10

Third Place

• Chandler/Smith def. Bohlken/Johnson 21-11, 21-16

Consolation

• Held/Leiter def. Thonpson/Spencer 17-21, 21-7, 11-6

C Doubles
Quarterfinals

• Alekzandra (Ali) Miller (Minneapolis)/Kristina Rude (Minneapolis) def. Vanessa Arndt (Mankato)/Natalie Lange (Mankato) 21-1, 21-1
• Josh Hoflock (Mankato)/Shannon Strand (Mankato) def. Matthew Date (Mankato)/Alexander Meyer (Minneapolis) 13-21, 21-16, 11-5
• Adrian Anderson (North Mankato)/Steve Gering (Mankato) def. Jessica Herion(Mankato)/Missy (Melissa) Kohout (Mankato) 21-9, 21-17 
• Brady Grimm (Mankato)/Jessica Bohlken (Hastings) def. Tera Roycraft (St. Paul)/Elizabeth Winberg (Minneapolis) 21-5, 21-14 

Semifinals

• Miller/Rude def. Hoflock/Strand 21-5, 21-10
• Anderson/Gering def. Grimm/Bohlken 21-1, 21-7 

Finals

• Miller/Rude def. Anderson/Gering 20-21, 21-10, 11-6

Third Place

• Hoflock/Strand def. Grimm/Bohlken 21-17, 21-4

Golden Masters A (50+) Doubles 
Quarterfinals

• Brett Broxey (Brooklyn Park)/Hank Ulrich (Hudson) BYE
• Mike Erdmanczyk (Vadnais Heights)/Tim Fichtel (Mendota Heights) def. Brian G. Mahaffy (Minneapolis)/Greg Taylor (Woodbury) 21-12, 21-15
• Brian Coonce (St. Paul)/Mike Kloos (Woodbury) def. Adalberto Cordero (St. Paul)/Ed Simonet, Jr. (Stillwater) 21-9, 21-15
• Larry Larson (Plymouth)/Ray Miller (St. Paul) BYE

Semifinals

• Broxey/Ulrich def. Erdmanczyk/Fichtel 21-12, 21-13
• Larson/Miller def. Coonce/Kloos 21-9, 16-21, 11-9

Finals

• Larson/Miller def. Broxey/Ulrich 14-21, 21-11, 11-3

Third Place

• Coonce/Kloos def. Erdmanczyk/Fichtel 21-5, 21-4

Consolation

• Taylor/Mahaffy def. Cordero/Simonet 21-12, 19-21, 11-0