Results
ARDEN HILLS, MINN. – The St. Catherine University tennis team has been well acquainted with winning the past few weeks. The Wildcats entered one of their biggest Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) matches of the season riding a five-match win streak, including two consecutive wins over tough conference opponents. Unfortunately, St. Kate's could not come up with a sixth straight win, as it lost to Bethel University 8-1 Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats battled throughout the match and played three highly contested matches in doubles play. Unfortunately, St. Kate's found itself in an early 3-0 hole as Bethel won all three matches in doubles play. No. 1 team of
Alisha Wiedmeier (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) and
Julia Sporer (Rogers, Minn. / Rogers) took three games from the Royals top team of Maggie Reirmann and Mattie Kitter, but ultimately fell 8-3.
The Wildcats No. 2 and 3 doubles teams both battled to 8-5 losses in their respective doubles matches, falling victim to late breaks in the set.
Bri Dorr (Princeton, Minn. / Princeton) and
Ella Graham (Madison, S.D. / Madison) were the members of St. Kate's No. 2 doubles team, while
Aubrey Eckstrom (St. James, Minn. / St. James) and
Maddy Knoll (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca) fell as the No. 3 doubles team.
Knoll was the lone Wildcat to find individual success Saturday afternoon, as she won her singles match to earn one point toward St. Kate's overall team score. The sophomore took the first set 7-6 after winning a thrilling tiebreaker by the score of 7-5. She then won the second set over Bethel's Megan Schuler 6-3, taking the match 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Dorr also played a thrilling match, nearly coming away with a huge upset as the team's No. 2 singles player. Dorr won the opening set of her match against Mackenzie Novak 6-3 before Novak forced the tiebreaker with a 6-3 win of her own. Despite a hard fought battle, Dorr fell in the third and final set 10-6, dropping the match 3-6, 6-3, 10-6.
Wiedmeier fell to Riermann, the Royals top singles play, 6-0, 6-3 as the No. 1 singles player, while Sporer lost at the No. 3 spot 6-4, 6-1. Graham managed to win three games in her 6-2, 6-1 loss as the No. 5 singles player while junior
Leah Obert (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) fell at the No. 4 spot 6-0, 6-1.
With the loss, St. Kate's five-match win streak is snapped, and the team's overall record falls to 10-4. The Wildcats, who will try to get back to .500 in conference play, will take on Macalester College at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26.
