ResultsARDEN FALLS, MINN. – The St. Catherine University tennis team played a crucial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) match against Bethel University Saturday morning in Arden Hills. The Wildcats pushed the 15-3 Royals to their limits, but ultimately fell 5-4 in the final match of the day.
St. Kate's found itself down 1-2 after three hard fought doubles matches.
Mikinzee Salo (Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd) and
Angie Lorenzen (Mitchell, S. D. / Mitchell) were the only doubles team to score a point for the Wildcats, winning at the No. 1 spot. The No. 2 team of
Alicia Knoll (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca) and
Julia Sporer (Rogers, Minn. / Rogers) fell to Bethel's Mattie Kidder and Anna Browning 8-6 while
Jessica Duda (St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville) and
Leah Obert (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) fell at the No. 3 spot by a score of 8-5.
Down 1-2 after doubles play, St. Kate's looked to make a comeback and take the match in singles play. Knoll tied the match at two points apiece by beating Kidder 7-5, 6-2 at the No. 2 singles spot, then No. 3 singles player Lorenzen helped the Wildcats take a 3-2 lead in a come from behind 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 victory.
The Royals earned two more points at the No. 4 and No. 5 singles spots with straight set wins over Duda and Sporer. Obert's 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 6 spot tied the match at four, leaving just one match to decide who would win the dual.
The Wildcats No. 1 singles player Salo took the first set against Sydney Parkinson 6-3 and looked to close the match with a straight set win. However, Parkinson evened the score with a 7-6 win in set two, forcing the third set tiebreaker. Salo fought in the final set but lost 11-9 in the end.
With the loss to Bethel, St. Kate's overall record falls to 8-7 and they are no 3-5 in MIAC play. The Wildcats will play yet another crucial conference match when they travel to Macalester for a Tuesday afternoon match.
