Oct. 23—MINNEAPOLIS — After an emotionally taxing win in the state semifinals against Crookston, the Litchfield girls tennis team faced a quick turnaround and had to find its best against Blake in the Class A state championship.
The Bears, who entered the state meet as the top seed and defending state champions, halted third-seeded Litchfield’s best in a 6-1 win to capture its second straight Class A state championship on Wednesday at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center.
“I love the way we competed,” Dragons head coach Matt Draeger said. “I thought we had chances to win a couple more points, but it didn’t happen today.”
Mike Ach, Blake’s head coach, spoke fondly of Draeger and his team following the title match.
“Against Matt (Draeger) and Litchfield, it’s always a tough battle,” Ach said. “They are well-coached, they fight hard and they have a lot of good athletes.”
Draeger, whose team played a grueling regular season schedule, knew his team’s preparation was there, but one aspect that is difficult to prepare for once you get into the depths of postseason play is the emotions that come with a big victory.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Dragons beat second-seeded Crookston 4-3 in the state semifinals.
“We prepared for this all year,” Draeger said. “But I don’t think you can factor in the emotion that took place in the first match.”
Every so often you might even need a little bit of luck to knock off a defending state champion.
“We made them work,” Draeger said. “You gotta hope they have an off-day and you have a great day. That wasn’t today.”
Isla Dille capped off an undefeated run in the team portion of the Class A state tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Blake’s Fatemeh Vang.
The Dragons’ sophomore ranked eighth in the final Class A poll by the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association. Vang, also a sophomore, was fourth in the final poll.
“(Fatemeh) is a really good player,” Dille said. “It was a good match.”
Dille competes in the singles portion of the Class A state tournament, which begins at 8 a.m. Thursday back at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center. She is the fourth seed and plays Waseca’s Vivian Mader in the opening round.
“I’m feeling good about it,” Dille said.
After taking on two matches Wednesday and three total in the last two days combined, recovery will be key for Dille, according to Draeger.
“Talent wise she’s there, confidence wise she’s there, everything’s there,” Draeger said, “But is she going to have the endurance and enough gas in the tank to battle tomorrow? … We’ll see.”
Emma Knudsen and Molly Patten, Litchfield’s No. 1 doubles team, also compete in the doubles portion of the Class A state tournament. The senior and sophomore are seeded fifth and play unseeded Tali Bellefy and Meg Santini of Holy Family at 10 a.m. Thursday.
“It’s a pretty loaded doubles draw,” Draeger said. “They’re going to have their hands full.”
And, although the Dragons fell short, the pressure for them was reaching the state tournament.
Dille was proud of herself and her teammates for the work they put in throughout the season to get themselves to Minneapolis.
“We worked really hard this season,” Dille said. “Getting here was big.”
Fifth-seeded St. James swept the Thunder Hawks in the Class A state fifth-place match at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center.
Montevideo saw two of its matches go to a third set.
The Saints’ Claire Carlson won 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (9) at No. 4 singles against Montevideo’s Carlee Axford. Saint James’ Alivia Romsdahl and Ellie Anderson earned a 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (6) victory at No. 1 doubles against the Thunder Hawks’ Gwyn Smiens and Lily Eisenlohr.
The unseeded Thunder Hawks earned three singles victories, two in three-set tiebreakers, to beat unseeded Providence Academy in the Class A state consolation semifinals at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center on Tuesday evening.
Ashley Klaassen, a junior at No. 2 singles, won 6-2, 1-6, 10-5 over the Lions’ MaryJane Whitaker. Carlee Axford, a senior at No. 4 singles, earned a 6-4, 1-6, 10-8 victory over Providence Academy’s Whitney Whitaker. Brooke Lindeman, a senior at No. 1 singles, won 6-1, 6-1 against the Lions’ Julia Tennison.
Kylieann Johnson and Teagan Epema won at No. 3 doubles for Montevideo. The junior and senior duo won 6-0, 6-1 against Providence Academy’s Leia Gable and Caroline Dierberger.
(1) Delaney Flanigan/Brigitta Nelson, PA, def. Gwyn Smiens/Lily Eisenlohr, 6-2, 6-3 … (2) Annabelle Whitaker/Bernadette Von Dohlen, PA, def. Megan Macziewski/Hallie Helgeson, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 10-5 … (3) Kylieann Johnson/Teagan Epema, M, def. Leia Gable/Caroline Dierberger, 6-0, 6-1
