Sports Editor- Liv White
The Women’s Tennis team played four matches this past weekend with a contingent traveling to Wisconsin to face UW-River Falls and UW-Stout and a group in Northfield facing MIAC opponents St. Olaf and St. Kate’s.
On Saturday April 11th, Gusties competed in River Falls, Wisconsin. The Gusties first match was played against UW-River Falls. Sophomore Rika Cross and Senior Madison Packer got the first win of the day in a 6-1 victory in #2 doubles. Sophomore Katie Thompson and First-Year Melat Tabra secured the first team point for Gustavus winning #3 doubles 6-2. Senior Pavla Yakimova and First-Year Jemima Vitou finished the doubles sweep at the #1 match with a score of 7-5.
Yakimova secured the next team point for the Gusties winning #1 singles 6-3, 6-1. Cross followed with a 6-1,6-0 victory in #2 singles. Packer clinched the win in #3 singles scoring 6-0, 6-1. The Gusties continued to win their singles matches. Junior Annie Klemmensen took #6 singles 6-1, 6-0. Senior Ashley Stroebel took #5 singles 6-1, 6-2. And to round out the sweep Vitou took a 6-0, 6-2 victory at #4 singles.
The Gusties excelled despite unpredictable conditions. “The weather got unpredictable and rainy, which led us to play indoor matches on multi-surface tennis courts on Saturday. This was definitely interesting to play on, but I felt I adapted really well to get the multiple wins on court. I was proud of how I stayed content and worked hard for each point on the court. I am also so proud of my teammates and how well they all competed! Everyone put 100% into their matches, which is so inspiring to see,” said Stroebel.
In their next match, the Gusties faced off against UW-Stout. The Blue Devils took #1 doubles, but Cross and Packer evened the doubles score with a 6-0 sweep in #2. Stroebel and Klemmensen got the doubles team point winning 6-2 at #3 doubles.
Moving to the singles, Packer swept #2 6-0, 6-0. Vitou won #3 singles 6-2, 6-0. Cross clinched the team win at #1 singles, scoring 6-1, 6-3. Stroebel won #4 singles 6-1, 6-0. The competition was closed out with Klemmensen and Thompson sweeping their #5 and #6 singles matches 6-0, 6-0.
Stroebel said, “Teamwork is such a crucial part of the tennis game. Tennis is a huge mental battle as much as it is a physical battle, especially in singles. Having your teammates on the sidelines or on the court next to you, cheering you on, helps you get through those tough moments during a match. There is a lot of peace knowing that your teammates are watching every point and helping you compete in the match.”
The next day, April 12th, the Gusties competed in Northfield against St. Olaf and St. Kate’s. To open the first match of the day against the Oles, Sophomore Karina Elvestrom and Senior Kaya De Bruijn swept #1 doubles. Junior Ella De Young and Senior Allison Szalay followed with a 6-1 victory at #3 doubles. Senior Molly Austin and Sophomore Lanie Davis closed out doubles with a 6-2 win at #2.
Davis and De Young both swept their #6 and #5 singles matches, respectively. Sophomore Noor Omar clinched the team win with her 6-0, 6-2 win in #4 singles. Elvestrom took #1 singles 6-2, 6-2. Next De Bruijn won 6-0, 6-1 in #2 singles and lastly, Austin completed the sweep for the Gusties with a 6-2, 6-0 win in #3 singles.
The Gusties went on to face St. Kate’s later in the day. Elvestrom and De Bruijn swept their #1 doubles match again to begin the competition. Austin and Davis followed with a 6-3 win at #2 doubles. De Young and Szalay finished closed out the doubles competition winning 6-1 at #3 doubles.
Davis extended the Gusties’ lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at #6 singles. Omar followed scoring 6-1, 6-1 in #4 singles. Austin took the fourth point for the team with a 6-2, 6-1 win in #3 singles. Elvestrom continued her day with another win in #1 singles 6-0, 6-2. De Young won #5 singles scoring 6-2, 6-0. Lastly, De Bruijn finished the sweep with a 6-1, 6-1 win at #2 singles. “I feel super confident and excited about the rest of the season. The team has some really exciting matches coming up that are always fun to play and cheer each other on. The team has worked so hard for these matches, so I am excited to see our hard work pay off,” Stroebel said. Coming up for the Gusties, the women’s tennis team competes this weekend on the 18th and 19th against MIAC opponents Carleton and Macalester.