The Winona State women’s tennis team opened their season and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) on Feb. 9 against St. Cloud State University. The match was a night of suspense between teams; however, the Warriors wound up with a well-deserved victory over their opponents.
Off to a great start this season, the Warriors previously competed at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where they left with a 7-0 score. Winona State was also recently ranked fifth in the NSIC Preseason Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Poll, with St. Cloud just four points behind them.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Friday’s match is going to be a battle, as St. Cloud State was ranked just one spot below us in the preseason coaches’ poll,” second-year Ally Burger said.
Burger went on to explain that the team has been working extremely hard, especially in improving their singles and doubles, and working on being more consistent with their serves and groundstrokes to prepare for their match.
Starting the night with doubles play, Winona State’s Sara Anderson and Skylar Gary took the win on court No. 1 with a final score of 6-1. By the end of the doubles play, St. Cloud had the advantage of winning the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, allowing them to jump to a 1-0 lead.
St. Clouds’ lead was momentary heading into singles play. Starting strong was Clara Thoemke who would take the win over St. Cloud’s Maria Molitor at 6-2, and 6-1 in the No. 4 singles to move the overall score to 1-1. The Huskies took the next victory in at No. 6 singles.
Anderson and Lainy Ristau also collected wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles to bump Winona State’s score up to 3-2 but with a win at No. 5 singles, St. Cloud managed to tie the scores once again at 3-3 overall. Breaking out of the tie was the Warriors with Skylar Gary who won over St. Cloud’s Claudia Munoz Perez in a nerve-wracking match that left Winona State with a 4-3 win.
The singles play was pivotal to the Warrior’s success. Gay and Ristau certainly pulled through with their tiebreakers that helped the Warriors end with a win. With their hard work throughout the match, their coach Tom Sanvik commended them for their hard work against the tough competition.
“The 4-3 hard-fought victory was very exciting for the warriors!” Sanvik said.
The Warriors had another success to start the season, they managed to finesse their way out of a tie against St. Cloud State and showcased their skills while doing it. The team’s and coaches’ support of each other helped show what they can achieve.
Up next, the Warriors hit the road to Owatonna, Minn., where they will face the University of Mary on Feb. 17.
“The University of Mary will be another test for this team, and I can’t wait to see how everyone does and how we handle the intensity,” Thoemke said.
