Staff Writer- Nathan Swanson
The Gustavus Women’s Tennis team, ranked No. 19 nationally, took on the Northwestern College Red Raiders, the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings, and the Concordia College Cobbers on Saturday, March 14th, at the Swanson Tennis Center on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus. The Women’s team won the day, going a perfect 7-0 in all three matches. Prior to their matches on Saturday, the team traveled to Florida for spring break, where they played six total matches. Going 3-3 on the road trip they beat #25 Christopher Newport 6-1, they won against St. Cloud State 4-3, and they beat #28 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 5-2.
“The season has been very successful so far, and the team feels confident about the direction we’re heading. We picked up key wins over nationally ranked teams during spring break, and this weekend reinforced that momentum with a clean sweep,” Sophomore Katie Thompson said. Currently, the Gusties are 1-0 in the MIAC and 13-5 overall.
In match one against Northwestern, Junior Ella De Young and Senior Pavla Yakimova began with a 6-0 sweep in the #1 doubles. Junior Sidney Wright and First-year Evelyn Bryson won 6-2 in the #2 doubles. They gained the team point for Gustavus. In the #3 doubles match, the Red Raiders would default. Sophomore Rika Cross won 6-1 and 6-2 in the #2 singles match to put Gustavus up 2-0. In the #4 singles, Junior Annie Klemmensen won 6-1 and 6-3 to put the Gusties up 3-0. Senior Madison Packer won 6-0, 7-5 in the #3 singles match securing the win for Gustavus. Yakimova won the #1 singles 6-4 and 6-2, and Senior Taylor Ruhl finished the #5 singles with a 6-3 and 6-4 victory. In the #6 singles, Northwestern would default.
Against Concordia, Sophomore Karina Elvestrom and Senior Kaya De Bruijn began with a 6-0 sweep in the #1 doubles. In the #2 doubles, Senior Molly Austin and Sophomore Lanie Davis won 6-2, securing the points for Gustavus in doubles. First-year Jemima Vitou and De Young won 6-3 in the #3 doubles match. De Bruijn won in the #2 singles 6-0 and 6-1, which gave the Gusties a 2-0 lead. In the #1 singles, Elvestrom won 6-0 and 6-1. Clinching the team victory in the #3 singles, Austin got the fourth team point winning 6-0 and 6-4. The #4 singles was a sweep where Sophomore Noor Omar won 6-0 and 6-0. Davis won the #5 singles 6-0 and 6-1. In the #6 singles, Senior Allison Szalay won 6-0 and 6-0, completing the 7-0 Gustavus sweep.
Match three against Bethany Lutheran saw Junior Bethany Smith and Sophomore Maya Brakhage win 6-1 in the #1 doubles. In the #2 doubles match, Sophomore Katie Thompson and Klemmensen won 6-1, which took the team point for Gustavus. Bethany Lutheran defaulted in the #3 doubles match. First-year Melat Tabara won 6-2 and 6-0 in the #4 singles to give the Gusties a 2-0 lead against the Vikings. In the #3 singles match, Thompson won 6-0 and 6-3 to secure the Gusties their fourth team point and a win. Vitou won in the #2 singles, going 6-0 and 6-2. In the #5 singles match, Sophomore Anna Key won 6-0 and 7-5. Bethany Lutheran defaulted the #6 singles match.
In what was a very successful weekend, the support from the team was impressive. “Everyone was there from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Even when you’re not on the court, you’re fully invested in your teammates’ matches. That level of support and energy has been a major strength for us this season and sets us apart…” Thompson said.
The investment and passion that everyone has for each other is important, and goes to show in the appreciation for being a part of the team. “The support, trust, and energy we bring every day make this experience really special,” Thompson said. Coming up, the women’s tennis team will go on the road and play St. Benedict in Collegeville, Minnesota. Following St. Benedict, they will have two home matches against St. Scholastica College and Hamline University. All three matches will be played on Saturday, March 28th.