It was a commonplace scene at the courts of Gustavus Tuesday night. The girls tennis team of St. James advanced to their fifth straight state tournament.
This time around, the girls went 7-0, 7-0, 6-1 to put an exclamation mark on Section 3A.
Some results from Tuesday:
vs. Luverne: 7-0;
Singles:
Paige Olson
wins 6-3, 6-2
Abby Frederickson
wins 6-2, 6-2
Aryn Eckstrom
wins 6-4, 6-0
Rachel Lahti
wins 6-1, 6-2
vs. Montevideo: 6-1;
Doubles:
Darci Johnson &
Julia Runge
win 6-2, 6-0
Karlee Sieve & McKenzie Gronewold
win 6-2, 6-2
Kat Barrett &
Caitlin Olson
win 6-1, 6-2
Now 21-2 on the season, the Saints will begin team state tournament action on Tuesday, October 27th. In the meantime, the girls will get their chance as individuals to compete at state starting next Wednesday, 21st, again at Gustavus Adolphus College.
The Saints only two losses came against Waseca (5th-ranked in state) and Rochester Lourdes (4th-ranked in state).
vs. River Valley 7-0
Singles:
Paige Olson
wins 6-2, 6-1
Abby Frederickson
wins 6-0, 6-1
Aryn Eckstrom
wins 6-0, 6-0
Rachel Lahti
wins 7-5, 6-4
Doubles:
Darci Johnson &
Julia Runge
win 6-1, 6-0
Karlee Sieve & McKenzie Gronewold
win 6-2, 6-1
Kat Barrett &
Caitlin Olson
win 6-0, 6-0
The Saints opened up their Section 3A tournament with a 7-0 win in St. James against River Valley. River Valley, a #9 seed, had earned the right to face top-seeded St. James with a win against #8-seeded MCW.
The Saints grinded out their wins -- all coming in two sets. The closest match was Rachel Lahti’s 7-5, 6-4 battle. All other matches were finished within 45 minutes.
Quick Q & A:
McKenzie Gronewold and Karlee Sieve
Q: Looking forward to your next matches, what do you need to improve on?
A: McKenzie G.: “Probably our first serve percentage -- we’ll have to improve on that.”
A: Karlee S.: “Today we had to challenge the wind that was a factor. At Gustavus we won’t have to deal with the wind.:
Q: What team(s) do you expect will test you most?
A: Karlee S.: “Waseca will definitely be our biggest challenge moving forward.”
