The Thief River Falls girls tennis team edged Duluth East 4-3 in its opening dual before blanking host Grand Rapids in the nightcap to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Duluth East defeated Grand Rapids 4-3 in the opening match of the triangular, which rolled right into the Thief River Falls vs. Duluth East match. Thief River Falls Head Coach Shawna Spears urged her team to take advantage of the lack of a break for the Greyhounds.
“We sent out the matches as courts were opening up, which sometimes can affect the team atmosphere as they aren’t all playing side by side at the same rate, but that is a mental hurdle that they all have to work around. For some it’s easier to do than others,” Spears said.
The Prowlers changed their lineup a bit compared to the season-opener a couple days prior.
“When choosing what to do for the lineup, I decided to put returning experience 1-4 in our singles,” Spears said. “This put Brooklyn [Broadwell], Avery [Skaar], Braylee [Wienen], and Stephanie [Dagg] as returners. Then Paige and Bell were both returners for the doubles side and started out our doubles line-up. This left two and three doubles to be fresh blood. Ingrid Anderson and Piper Greene took two, Kaitlin Kruse and Anna Lunsetter took three, and Alaina Lunsetter and Jerlyn Lunsetter played exhibition.”
The lineup produced a 4-3 win against the Greyhounds. Broadwell, Skaar and Wienen won singles matches and Weets/Hamre won the fourth point in a three-set match to clinch the dual.
“I felt this was a solid line-up for us for the day – different from Wednesday against Alex – and was very confident in the girls,” Spears said. “In our pre-match talk, I did warn the girls that they were going to be very competitive teams.”
The Prowlers kept the same lineup for Grand Rapids in what was expected to be a tight dual.
“Duluth East had just beaten Grand Rapids 4-3 so we were expecting a somewhat close match with Grand Rapids, especially because we were playing back to back and it was only getting hotter in the day.”
Broadwell, Skaar and Wienen picked up decisive wins in singles competition.
“These three took charge, put away points quickly and kept the ball low to the net, wins from their inexperienced doubles teams – Greene/Anderson in the number two spot, and Kruse/Anna Lunsetter in the number three spot.
“Our two and three doubles were especially impressive for the match against Grand Rapids,” Spears said. “Ingrid [Anderson] and Piper [Greene] were moving well together as a doubles team, they were talking, and taking wise angles up at the net,” Spears said.
“Finding these skills was what helped them take a strong win. Kaitlin and Anna were playing more strategically and placing the ball with a lot more thought behind it. They also were figuring out how to still hit the ball with placement while on the run by keeping it either a sharper angle cross-court or lobbing it over the net girl. I was very happy with the growth that these four girls made just from the first match earlier in the day.
The Prowlers were tested a bit more in the number four singles and one doubles matches, but both spots still came away with wins in straight sets.
“Four singles and one doubles had a little bit of a longer battle, but each of them took care of their competition and gave us the sweep against Grand Rapids,” Spears said. “This was especially rewarding being that Duluth and Grand Rapids were a close match and we played back to back matches.”
Thief River Falls 4,
Duluth East 3
Singles – Brooklyn Broadwell, TRF, defeated Taran Dimberio 6-0, 6-0; Avery Skaar, TRF, defeated Lillian Kimber 6-1, 6-3; Braylee Wienen, TRF, defeated Cici Stender 6-0 6-0; Ava Revior, Duluth East, def. Stephanie Dagg 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.
B Paige Weets/Bell Hamre, TRF, def. Erin Holliday/Ella Johnson 6-3, 5-7, 7-5; Norah Powell/Isla Nepelnjak, Duluth East, def. Ingrid Anderson/Piper Greene 6-3, 6-4; Sylvie Markham/Christina Duncan, Duluth East, def. Kaitlin Kruse/Anna Lunsetter 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).
Exhibition – Alaina Lunsetter/Jerlyn Lunsetter lost to Sammy Woodhull/Olivia Cattleman 5-7, 5-7.
Thief River Falls 7,
Grand Rapids 0
B No. 1 – Brooklyn Broadwell, TRF, def. Taryn Hamling, 6-0 , 6-0; No. 2 – Avery Skaar, TRF, def. Lindsey Tulla, Grand Rapids, 6-2 , 6-1; No. 3 – Braylee Wienen, TRF, def. Hannah Lafrenier, Grand Rapids, 6-0 , 6-0; No. 4 – Stephanie Dagg, TRF, def. Charlotte Moss, 7-5, 6-1.
Doubles – No. 1 – Paige Weets/Bell Hamre, TRF, def. Caroline Ahcan/Quinn Cargill, 6-3 , 6-0; No. 2 – Piper Greene/Ingrid Anderson, TRF, def. Mercury Bischoff/Molly Pierce, 6-3 , 7-5; No. 3 – Kaitlin Kruse/Anna Lunsetter, TRF, def. Alyssa Ohman/Emma Moran, 6-3 , 6-4.
TRF JV Girls Tennis vs. Duluth East – win 4, lose 9; Grace Gillespie 6-0; Tessa Strickland 0-6; Olivia Schuster 5-6; Lydia Walseth 5-6; Bethany Crandall 0-6; McKenzie Lee 2-6; Samantha Rodahl 6-2; Samantha Rodahl and McKenzie Lee 6-3; Lydia Walseth and London Schafte 0-6; Bethany Crandall and Brenna Drevlow 2-6; Javyn Eidelbes and Piper Kezar 5-7; London Schafte and Tessa Strickland 7-5; Javyn Eidelbes and Olivia Schuster 5-7.
vs. Grand Rapids win 12, lose 0 – Tessa Strickland 6-4; Olivia Schuster 6-2; Javyn Eidelbes 6-2; Bethany Crandall 6-0; Tessa Strickland 6-1; Javyn Eidelbes 6-0; Grace Gillespie and McKenzie Lee 6-0; Samantha Rodahl and Lydia Walseth 6-0; London Schafte and Lydia Walseth 6-3; Brenna Drevlow and Piper Kezar 6-2; McKenzie Lee and Samantha Rodahl 6-2; Brenna Drevlow and Piper Kezar 6-1.