Ellie's first match on Saturday was a semifinal against the #2 seed Kate Kurtzman of Brainerd.  “Ellie came out of the gates hot and aggressive, and both girls held serve through 3-3 in the first set,” reported Head Coach Jamie Lill.  “Kate did a great job of varying shot selection against Ellie and really played a clean set.  Once Kate got the break she needed on Ellie's serve part way through the set, she turned up her game a notch and took the set 6-3.  Kate started throwing a lot of low-pace lobs at Ellie and really dictated play well in the second set, earning the match 6-3, 6-0.”

The semifinal loss put Ellie in the 3rd place match against Brianna Holm of Alexandria.  Brianna and Ellie had already played three times this year, with Ellie winning once.  “Brianna has a very complete all-court game,” said Lill.  “She's solid from the baseline, the net and the service line.  She performed as expected on Saturday as well; imposing her game.  Ellie held strong in both sets, but Brianna put so much pressure on Ellie's service games and was able to break serve a few times, which ended up being the difference in the match.  Brianna won 6-3, 6-3.” 

Colbeck now moves on to the section tournament next weekend in St. Cloud as the #4 seed from the north.  She will take on the #1 seed from the south, Ashley Tarrolly of St. Cloud Tech.  Tarrolly is a state top-ten ranked player.  “Ellie has shown to be a top player in our section and has drawn the very best first round, so it should be a great challenge for her,” added Lill.  She will play at 9:00am on Saturday, October 12.