DuBOIS - The 2008 District 9 girls' tennis singles opened up Tuesday morning. The DuBois Area High School hosted the opening rounds of competition in both Class AA and AAA. Rain suspended play on several occasions, and as a result, the AAA finals have yet to be determined.
The AAA semifinals will resume play today at Benzinger Park in St. Marys at 3 p.m. with the finals to follow in both AA and AAA.
Competing for the right to advance to the finals in AAA are Punxsutawney's Emily Graffius and Keshia Farnsworth.
Farnsworth is playing DuBois' Molly Hobba while Graffius is going against Bradford's Hilary Digel.
In the match between Hobba and Farnsworth, the first set was tied 3-3 when play was suspended. Hobba leads the game 30-15, with Farnsworth controlling the serve.
The other AAA semifinals match has Digel leading 4-1 in the opening set against Graffius, and the game is tied at 15-15 when play was stopped.
Graffius and Farnsworth were the 2007 doubles champions after a 6-3, 6-4 win in the finals.
Playing in the AA finals will be Kaitlyn Geci, who is trying to capture her second consecutive D-9 singles' championship, when she takes on St. Marys' Kelsey Hansen.
Geci shut out Brockway's Ashley Vincent in the opening round before she defeated Abby Grumley, of Johnsonburg, in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-0.
Hansen's path wasn't as easy as Geci's, but she didn't lose a set either on her way to the finals.
Hansen defeated Sarah Brinkley, of Brockway, 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round before winning 6-4, 6-2, over Elk County Catholic's Kylie Auman.
Geci and Hansen squared off last year in the semifinals of the '07 Tournament. Geci won the set, 6-1, 6-2.
Notes: Two rain delays delayed action for over three hours on Tuesday. The first delay was approximately two hours before rain returned during the AAA semifinals, which forced play to continue on Wednesday. ... Johnsonburg's Abby Grumley beat St. Marys' Megan Herbstritt 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the AA semifinals while Auman defeated Ellie Kocjancic, of Johnsonburg, 6-0, 6-1. ...In AAA action, Hobba won her opening round match against Bradford's Jodi Irons, 6-4, 6-3 while Farnsworth beat Jenny Miller, of Clearfield, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Graffius won both of her sets, 6-2, against Clearfield's Emily Von Gunden while Digel won both of her sets, 6-3, over Markie Gustafson of DuBois. ...Digel and Graffius are the only two returning girls from last year's D-9 singles' tournament. Graffius lost in the finals, 6-1, 6-0 to Clearfield's Courtney Kauch. Digel dropped her opening round match 6-3, 6-1.