A semifinal appearance in the Section III Division I girls tennis tournament allowed Julie Schewe to advance to last week’s sectional state qualifier at Drumlins.

The top 16 singles players were at Drumlins, vying for three spots in this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Tri-City Tennis Club in Latham, near Albany.

Schewe, unseeded going into the qualifier, faced Manlius-Pebble Hill’s Anna Szombathy in the first round. Winning the first set 6-3 gave Schewe a cushion for a 6-2 defeat in the second set, but in the final set she regained control and beat Szombathy 6-3.

While Schewe made the quarterfinals, it meant a match against the no. 2 seed, Christian Brothers Academy’s Rena Steele, who had not dropped a game in her first-round win over Indian River’s Alexzha Garcia.

And Steele would be just as good here, ending Schewe’s run 6-0, 6-0 on her way to advancing to the state tournament as the second-place singles finisher, joining CBA teammate Gieselle Vlassis and New Hartford’s Sarah Corasanti.