On the doubles side of things, sophomores Hattie Fullhart and Ashtyn Lill continued to find success in their role atop the doubles lineup. Dropping just one game, Ashtyn and Hattie cruised to a straight set victory. This duo is in mid-season form already. They are striking the ball well and playing very aggressive and offensive tennis. They are able to force a lot of mistakes from their opponents and control matches. As new partners this fall, it's been great to see these two mesh so well so quickly on the court. They communicate effectively and have a great sense of proper court coverage in all sorts of different situations. In second doubles action, we were happy to have Hannah Anderson back from an injury and able to suit up. She paired with Clara Stephan for a very close 2nd doubles match. The girls dropped the first set 7-6 in a tiebreak, but really played cleaner tennis in the second set to earn it 6-3. Hannah and Clara fell just short in the third, dropping the super tie-breaker 10-7. Carsyn Lill and Dillyn Lill also played a fairly routine match at 3rd doubles, winning 6-0. 6-2. Carsyn and Dillyn are showing great court awareness and a good understanding of proper shot selection and execution.
Clara Stephan returning a serve as Hannah Anderson preps for play at second doubles. PHOTO PROVIDED
In singles action, Isabella Abrahams continued her hot streak with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Adali Laidlaw. Bella did a great job of working points and staying patient until she had a good opportunity to attack. Ruby Ellison made quick work at 2nd singles, dropping just a single game in her match. Ruby is really coming into her own and making smart decisions during points. Ruby has the capacity to hit a lot of winners and really push opponents deep with her approach shots which can earn her easy points at the net. It's been fun to watch her excel so far this season by constructing points well and playing smart tennis. Layla Zosel found herself in a very tough matchup at 3rd singles against Kennedy Mara, dropping the match in straight sets. Tonight was a bit tough for Layla to find consistency in her strokes. Some days are just like that and when you have an aggressive opponent like she did against Willmar, they will take advantage of mistakes and continue to put pressure on you every single shot. Kaia Ness pulled off a beautiful victory for the Otters at 4th singles. This was a very even matchup on the court, but Kaia was able to find a way to win the big points and that was the difference maker for her tonight. The match really could have gone either way, but Kaia's determination and grit to grind out every point gave her the edge in the end, winning the match 7-5, 7-5.
The Otters hit the road for our next match this Thursday in Alexandria at 4:30pm before playing host to Thief River Falls on Friday morning at 10:00am. The Alexandria matchup is a really big one for us. They are in our north half of section 8AA and the Central Lakes Conference. It is shaping up to be our biggest test to date and we are looking forward to the challenge. Our girls are pumped that all their hard work on the court and in the weight room has put them in this position where no match is out of reach for us. We can compete with anybody on any given day and it will make for a very exciting and competitive season for our girls.
Singles:
1. Isabella Abrahams (FF) defeated Adali Laidlaw (W) 6-2, 6-2.
2. Ruby Ellison (FF) defeated Emmie Larson (W) 6-1, 6-0.
3. Kennedy Mara (W) defeated Layla Zosel (FF) 6-3, 6-1.
4. Kaia Ness (FF) defeated Aubrey Peterson (W) 7-5, 7-5.
Doubles:
1. Hattie Fullhart/Ashtyn Lill (FF) defeated Heidi Kath/Emily Floren (W) 6-1, 6-0.
2. Lizzy Hoffman/Katelyn Garberding (W) defeated Clara Stephan/Hannah Anderson 7-6(2), 3-6, 10-7.
3. Dillyn Lill/Carsyn Lill (FF) defeated Melanie Rhoda/Abby VanDerBill (W) 6-0, 6-2.
