CROSBY — There’s a different court Tori Oehrlein is dominating.
The Crosby-Ironton junior is well-known for her basketball accolades, which includes being the fastest player to score 3,000 points in state history and leading the Rangers to the Class 2A state tournament in back-to-back seasons.
This fall, she’s been perfect on the tennis court.
Oehrlein holds a 20-0 record at No. 1 singles and is the ninth-ranked Class 1A individual.
She notched a big win last week against Pine City’s Brooke Boland, who beat Oehrlein in last year’s Section 7-1A individual tournament to advance to the Class 1A state tournament.
Oehrlein beat Boland 6-3, 6-1 Sept. 19 as the Rangers lost to the Dragons 4-3.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence because she did beat me to go to state last year,” Oehrlein said. “My game plan was to try to get her moving and wear her out and get her tired. And it worked.”
C-I head coach Ann Silgen loves slotting Oehrlein at No. 1 singles.
“Tori is just an incredible athlete,” Silgen said. “She had her closest test last week against Pine City and Tori won handily. I think the biggest thing I’m seeing is that Tori has just really improved her serve a lot. She just has a strong serve and she’s playing more offensively. Tori has always been a solid, consistent player, but I think she’s taken her attack on the offensive side of things to the next level.”
Silgen added it’s tough to describe the style of tennis Oehrlein plays.
“I would say it’s a combination of power and finesse,” Silgen said. “Tori’s a really smart athlete. When I go out and talk to her during a match she’s already figured out her opponent and their weaknesses. Even if she gets down a couple games, she knows what she needs to do to turn it around. She’s super coachable, but has a really strong tennis IQ. So, she has a combination of power and finesse, but really it’s her consistency. She’s consistent and knows when to attack and when to play more defensively.”
Oehrlein has tried to let her opponents make the mistakes. She said she’s playing smarter and with more patience.
“I definitely think I’m a better player than last year,” said Oehrlein. “I like to play a little more patiently now, and just move my opponent around and make my way up to the net slowly.”
Oehrlein acknowledged the difference between playing basketball — more of a team sport — than tennis, which is more individualized.
“I think tennis does, definitely, help me in basketball,” she said. “It’s the mental part of tennis that pushes me and helps me. You have to move on to the next play or next point and you can’t dwell on it. That’s what has helped me a lot in my basketball career. The one thing I do really like about tennis is the pressure is all on me. It helps me perform under pressure, which helps me grow as a player and a person. If I make a mistake, it’s my fault and no one else’s.”
Oehrlein said playing No. 1 singles makes her better every time she competes.
“Playing the other team’s best player and them throwing everything they have at me, everyone is a different player and all have pushed me to be a better tennis player,” she said.
Even though Oehrlein is a basketball-focused athlete. Silgen said she still adds value to the Rangers’ tennis program.
“She’s such a leader to her other teammates and just shows what hard work can do,” Silgen said. “She’s always super committed. At practice, she stays late to work on something that she needs to work on. She’s one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever seen as far as her focus and dedication to whatever she’s doing at the moment.”
Oehrlein reached the 75-win milestone this week against Cloquet on Sept. 26.
“I think it’s awesome that I have been doing so well in my second sport,” Oehrlein said. “Basketball is my main sport and it’s really exciting to me knowing I’ve put so much effort into basketball and tennis is just my second sport for fun and I’m still doing well, which feels awesome.”
The goal for Oehrlein is to get to state.
“I think she has a really good shot to make it,” Silgen said. “She’s played everyone in our section and I think she has a really good chance. Her mental toughness has gotten better in her tennis career and I think she has the goal to go to state.
“I just really enjoy being her coach. She’s been a great asset to our team and our program and she’s very humble. It would be easy, I think, for her to not be humble, but she’s super encouraging to her teammates and her opponents.”
Other notable performances:
Volleyball: June Ruud, Pequot Lakes, named All-Class 2A Showcase Tournament team with 39 kills, three blocks, 54 digs and four ace serves across five games.
Sammie Hachey, Crosby-Ironton, finished with 26 kills and 32 digs in two games last week.
Jade Storry, Staples-Motley, finished with 21 kills and 25 digs in two games last week.
Livi Lorber, Staples-Motley, finished with 35 kills in two games last week.
Soccer: Ellyse Freudenrich, Little Falls, scored two goals on penalty kicks against St. Cloud Apollo.
Year: Junior
School: Crosby-Ironton
Sport: Girls tennis
Position: No.1 singles
Highlights: Improved to 20-0 on the season last week, including a win over Pine City’s Brooke Boland, who was ranked in the top 10 for Class 1A.
