Nyden Hill – Staff Writer
Last week, on Saturday, March 18, the Gustavus women’s tennis team hosted both Bethany Lutheran and Northwestern-Iowa in a double-header at Swanson Tennis Center.
The Gusties entered this contest riding the momentum of a one game winning streak, coming off a strong 9-0 performance against Luther on Saturday, March 11. Given this recent dominant performance, the Gusties still faced a tough test in the form of a doubleheader that stood in front of them, as they hoped to improve on their record of 6-7 to 8-7. Entering the match, the Gusties’ first competition of the day in Northwestern Iowa held a record of 2-5, which they hoped to improve to 4-5. With a record of 1-1, Bethany Lutheran entered the doubleheader in hopes of improving to above .500, with a potential record of 3-1.
With this tough test in mind, it is important to note that success at a high level is nothing new to the Gusties. Entering this season, the Gustavus women’s tennis team faced the challenge of repeating as conference champions, as they clinched the 2022 MIAC tennis title last year. With these kinds of expectations in mind, the Gusties’ mindset held firm and confident as they looked to break .500 and make a statement heading into the second half of the season.
“Heading into the doubleheader, our team was excited to get out there and compete. We had been training hard prior to these matches and were ready to use that training against outside competition,” Junior Mary Enright said.
Against Northwestern Iowa, the Gusties proved this assertion correct. In doubles play, the Gusties were nothing less than dominant. To begin play for the weekend, playing in the number one doubles spot, the duo of Senior Emily Norman and First-year Pavla Yakimova placed the Gusties in the driver’s seat, as they defeated their Northwestern-Iowa opponents in two sets by a score of 8-7. Playing in the number two spot, Senior Lili Elofson and Sophomore Brooke Haddroff emerged the victors by a margin of six points, with a final score of 8-2 in their match against Northwestern Iowa. In the final doubles action of the match, the pair of First-year Ashley Strobel and First-year Taylor Ruhl completed the Gustie sweep, putting the Gusties firmly ahead of their competition.
“Sweeping the doubles definitely gave the players confidence going into the singles. Our play in singles was outstanding,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson.
In singles, the Gusties remained in firm control of the match, as Norman and Haddorff both bested their opponents, playing in the number one and two singles spots, respectively. While the Gusties dropped one singles match, they were able to redeem themselves with another pair of dominant performances by First-year Madison Packer and Stroebel, who both defeated their opponents in two sets.
This momentum from the first match of the day against Northwestern Iowa seemed to translate well into the second match of the day for the Gusties in their matchup with Bethany Lutheran. In results that seemingly mirrored the doubles action from the previous match, the Gusties swept their competition with results of 8-1, 8-1, and 8-0, respectively.
While the Gusties dropped one of the six singles games in their match against Northwestern Iowa, they were able to fully capitalize on the momentum built by the doubles games, as they went 6-0 in singles play. In singles, the Gusties defeated their opposition handily, with the closest margin being a 6-3 victory in the second set of Enright’s win against Bethany Lutheran.
With this strong showing at home, the Gusties look forward to continuing this momentum against Concordia University in Moorehead, Minnesota on March 26, and hope to finish the rest of the season with great expectations in mind.
“We hope to continue to grow as a team, inspire each other, and represent our program in a positive way. We are excited for the rest of the season,” Enright said.
Enright was not the only person to share this sentiment, as coach Jon Carlson had a similar mindset as to how he envisioned the rest of the season playing out based on this weekend’s results.
“We talk about everyone improving themselves improves the whole team. I know that the players who played last Saturday got to see in matchplay that their level has jumped since the beginning of the season. That’s exactly what we need going into spring break and the heart of our conference schedule,” Carlson said.
We wish the Gusties the best of luck as they hope to win their second straight MIAC title this spring.