by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Two days after suffering its first losses of the season, the Thief River Falls girls tennis team got back on track with its most dominating performances of the season in Grand Rapids Friday afternoon. The Prowlers opened the day with a 7-0 win over Duluth East and they nearly made it a clean sweep on the day with a 6-1 win in the second dual.
“After a tough two losses on Wednesday, our girls bounced back with a refreshed energy,” said Thief River Falls Head Coach Shawna Spears.
The Prowlers changed up their lineup and gave their top two singles players, Avery Skaar and Braylee Wienen, a break from their singles spots.
“For Duluth East, we went with the line-up of Avery [Skaar], Piper [Greene], Jerlyn [Lunsetter], Olivia [Schuster] and on the doubles side we did Braylee [Wienen]/Anna [Lunsetter], Kaitlyn[Kruse]/Sam [Rodahl], McKenzie [Lee]/Lydia [Walseth].
Skaar took her first set 6-2, fell short for the second set in a tie-break of 5-7, but took the third set 10-4 after being down 3-4 and took a remarkable seven straight points in a row to win.
“Avery has shown incredible perseverance this season, already with having tough battles of every match she has played,” Spears said. “She has taken all 5 wins in her one singles spot with all five going into a third set. She has done a great job leading the team on the court and showing grit through her matches.”
Skaar’s win was one of four matches that went to a third set against Duluth East. Greene, Jerlyn Lunsetter, and Kruse/Rodahl also won the third set.
“Jerlyn really turned her match around and made some magic happen after dropping the first set 1-6,” Spears said. “She stole away the second 6-2 and then finished the match 10-3. Jerlyn has really stepped up and proven herself this season. She has found a solid rhythm in singles for herself and gets the job done.”
The Prowlers changed their lineup again against the Thunderhawks and came close to pulling off another shutout.
Wienen, Anna Lunsetter and Jerlyn Lunsetter picked up wins in singles spots one, three and four, with Skaar/Kruse, Lee/Rodahl and Schuster/Walseth getting doubles wins.
“Our doubles teams gave up a total of nine games among the three matches,” Spears said. “We are finally starting to see the importance of talking with our partners and moving as a pair. We still have lots of room to go, but the girls definitely made some improvements from Wednesday.
“On the singles side, Anna had a great comeback in her match after losing a close first set 4-6, she took back the second 6-2, and finished the third 10-4. This was a nice change of pace for our two returning doubles players of Piper and Anna from last season giving them a chance to play singles. Braylee ran away with her match defeating her opponent 0 and 0.”
Prowler JV has strong showing
Thief River Falls went 8-8 against Duluth East and 12-6 against Grand Rapids in junior varsity competition.
“Our JV also had a phenomenal day against these two teams as well,” Spears said. These girls have been getting lots of experience playing against a variety of girls but also usually getting a mix of singles and doubles in. Overall, we are proud of all of our girls for stepping up and competing so well against two very respectable and talented teams.
“Our middle school also hosted Crookston on Thursday as their first match. They got lots of matches in and a mixture of singles and doubles. After a competitive day, their final results were 12-13. What a way for them to start off their season.”
The trip to Grand Rapids wraps up a busy first week of action that saw the Prowlers travel to Pequot Lakes, Bemidji and Grand Rapids.
“I want to give a big thank you to the parents, grandparents, relatives, and other supporters who have come out to watch so far this season at all levels,” Spears said. We have had so many people there supporting these girls – some even more than the home teams. It does not go unnoticed and it is so appreciated. We hear the cheers and we love the positive words after the match is done. You help our girls tremendously and give them an extra boost of encouragement. Thank you so much for making the effort.”
Thief River Falls 7, Duluth East 0
Singles: No. 1 – Avery Skaar, Thief River Falls def. Isla Pepelnjak, Duluth East, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 10-4; No. 2 – Piper Greene, Thief River Falls def. CiCi Stender, Duluth East, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7; No. 3 – Jerlyn Lunsetter, Thief River Falls def. Cedar Fischer, Duluth East, 1-6, 6-2, 10-3; No. 4 – Olivia Schuster, Thief River Falls def. Louisa Hill, Duluth East, 6-2, 6-3.
Doubles: No. 1 – Braylee Wienen/Anna Lunsetter, Thief River Falls def. Anna Koski/Erin Holliday, Duluth East, 7-6 (12), 6-4; No. 2 – Kaitlyn Kruse/Samantha Rodahl, Thief River Falls def. Christina Duncan/Harriet Hill, Duluth East, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6; No. 3 – McKenzie Lee/Lydia Walseth, Thief River Falls def. Alexa Gunderson, Duluth East – Romie Gange, Duluth East, 6-4, 6-3.
Thief River Falls 6, Grand Rapids 1
Singles: No. 1 – Braylee Wienen, Thief River Falls def. Emma Muller, Grand Rapids, 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 – Charlotte Moss, Grand Rapids def. Piper Greene, Thief River Falls, 6-0, 6-2; No. 3 – Anna Lunsetter, Thief River Falls def. Mercury Bischoff, Grand Rapids, 5-7, 6-2, 10-4; No. 4 – Jerlyn Lunsetter, Thief River Falls def. Abby Zimmer, Grand Rapids, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles: No. 1 – Avery Skaar/Kaitlyn Kruse, Thief River Falls def. Molly Pierce/Emma Moran, Grand Rapids, 6-0, 6-1; No. 2 – McKenzie Lee/Samantha Rodahl, Thief River Falls def. Alyssa Ohman/Rylee Thomsen, Grand Rapids, 6-1, 6-1; No. 3 – Olivia Schuster/Lydia Walseth, Thief River Falls def. Avery Nissen/Izzy Isaacson, Grand Rapids, 6-4, 6-2.