Results

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – It was a marathon match for the St. Catherine tennis team. Unfortunately, the Wildcats fell to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent St. Olaf 7-2 after over three hard fought hours of competition.  

In their first meeting in the MIAC playoffs last season, St. Kate's tennis team found themselves in a hole early after doubles play. The Wildcats No. 2 doubles team Alicia Knoll (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca) and Jessica Duda (St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville) fell to Erin McDonald and Maya MacGibbon to open the meeting with an 8-1. Then No. 3 doubles team Julia Sporer (Rogers, Minn. / Rogers) and Ruth Rike (Pine City, Minn. / Pine City) fell 8-3 in their match against Bailey Kent and Kellis Brandt. St. Kate's No. 1 doubles team of Mikinzee Salo (Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd) and Angie Lorenzen (Mitchell, S.D. / Mitchell) fought but eventually fell 8-4 to St. Olaf's No. 1 team of Alisa Hall and Margaret Zimmerman.

The Wildcats entered singles play in a 3-0 hole and looked to swing the momentum in their direction during singles play. Both Lorezen and Sporer were able to earn two points for St. Kate's as the only two players to win their singles matches. Lorezen defeated MacGibbon in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in singles play, and Sprorer beat Brandt 6-0, 7-5.
Duda took McDonald to a tiebreaker at the No. 4 singles spot. After losing the first set 6-3, Duda came back to win set two 6-4 and force a tiebreaker. She battled McDonald for 16 games before falling 10-6 in the tiebreaker set.

Salo and first year Leah Obert (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) fell in straight sets in singles play as well. Salo lost to Ole No. 1 Hall 6-3, 6-3 and Obert fell to No. 6 Kent 6-1, 6-1.

Knoll, who had a 3-1 singles record in 2016, fell in straight sets 6-0, 6-0 to Zimmerman.  

After Friday's loss, the Wildcats are now 4-2 overall and 1-2 in MIAC play. They have nine days off until their next match against the University of St. Thomas. St. Kate's will host the Tommies next Sunday, March 13, at 8 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center.