University of West Alabama

All season long the St. Catherine University tennis team has played at its best against some of the toughest teams in the region and nation. This week was no different as the Wildcats went 3-2 over spring break with both losses coming to top 10 region teams. No one stood out more for the Wildcats, though, than junior Mikinzee Salo (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) who has been named the Wildcat Athlete of the Week. 

Salo was impressive all week going 4-1 at No. 2 singles and 3-2 at No. 1 doubles against regionally ranked opponents. While in Texas, Salo scored two solid wins at No. 2 singles defeating Marieke Visser of Southwestern University in perfect 6-0, 6-0 fashion before cruising to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Angelie Juaneza of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She and No. 1 doubles partner Kylie Ketcho (Eden Prairie, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) went 8-0 and 8-2, respectively, in the Wildcats' matches Monday and Tuesday. 

After going 2-0 in Texas, the Wildcats returned to face some of the top Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region teams at the Midwest Invitational Friday and Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wildcats fell 9-0 first nationally-ranked No. 22 Hope College with Salo and Ketcho putting up a tough match against the top-ranked team in the region of Nancy Benda and Carli Capestany. She rebounded in the late match Friday with a 6-2, 6-4 No. 2 singles win over Dana Goggin to help the Wildcats defeat a Augsutana College team ranked No. 16 in the region two spot above the Wildcats by a score of 6-3. She also scored a 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles in the match. Saturday, Salo scored the lone Wildcat win at No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-2 against Maria Franco of No. 10 regionally-ranked Kalamazoo College. She and Ketcho narrowly lost at No. 1 doubles 8-6 to the No. 10 pair in the region of Sabrina Dass and Sarah Woods.

This season, Salo lead the Wildcats in singles play with a 9-5 record and in doubles at 11-3 with all three losses coming to regionally- or nationally-ranked teams. She also moved to No. 8 all-time at St. Kate's for career doubles wins with a 43-8 overall record over her three seasons played. 

Salo and the rest of the Wildcats are scheduled to take on Concordia College for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) match Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.