ST. PAUL, MINN. – To say the St. Catherine University tennis team had a good weekend may be a bit of an understatement. The Wildcats grabbed two wins in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play this weekend with a 6-3 win over St. Olaf College on a Friday and a 9-0 sweep of Hamline University on Saturday. One of the key players in St. Kate’s weekend success was none other than junior Julia Sporer (Rogers, Minn. / Rogers), who was 4-0 in doubles and singles play over the weekend. For her performance, Sporer has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Sporer’s outstanding weekend started on Friday, where she helped St. Kate’s upset the Oles in impressive fashion. Sporer and doubles partner Alisha Wiedmeier (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) opened the night with an 8-3 victory over Kellis Brandt and Ellie Bergstrand to help the Wildcats take a 2-1 lead over St. Olaf after doubles play. Later in singles play, Sporer cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the No. 4 spot, helping St. Kate’s secure the 6-3 victory.
Sporer’s fantastic play carried over to Saturday’s match, where she earned victories in both singles and doubles play without losing a single game. Sporer and Weidmeier took their doubles match by a score of 8-0 before Sporer went on to defeat Emily Wolmuth 6-0, 6-0.
Overall, Sporer is on pace to have a career season. The junior is currently 6-1 in singles play this season and she holds a 3-1 record in MIAC play. Sporer has also been strong for the Wildcats in doubles play this season, with a 4-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark against MIAC teams.
Thanks to Sporer and the team’s outstanding weekend, St. Kate’s now holds a 4-4 record and is 3-2 in MIAC play. The Wildcats will take on the College of Saint Benedict this upcoming Saturday at 6:30 p.m. before embarking on their spring break trip to Florida.
