ST. PETER, Minn. - Senior Ruth Rike (Pine City, Minn.) had a fantastic weekend in St. Peter, Minn. to open the 2018-19 tennis season. Over the two-day event, Rike finished 5-1 overall going 3-0 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles. The St. Catherine University Wildcat tennis team traveled to St. Peter, Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday for an early season invite including Division III Gustavus Adolphus and a field of Division II teams from across the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). 

The two-day event was flighted into eight singles groups and four doubles group which resulted in multiple Wildcats in singles groups together. To complete her perfect 3-0 in singles play, Rike beat first-year Reilee Schepper (Princeton, Minn.) 6-4, 6-4. Schepper had a decent debut finishing 2-1 beating out two opponents from Gusatuvs; the first opponent 6-0, 6-0 and the second 6-0, 6-2. 

Also finishing her St. Kate's singles debut 2-1 was sophomore transfer Kylee Funk (Foley, Minn.). Funk went up against Gustuavus' Hannah Gronseth winning 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the next round against Gustavus' Sarah Link topping her 6-4, 61. Ultimately Funk fell to Division II Minnesota State University-Moorhead's Stevi Parker putting up a battle going 4-6, 6-2, 3-10. 

Similar to Rike, sophomore Ella Graham (Madison, S.D.) finished singles play 3-0 topping two Division II opponents and Gustavus' Kailey Maroney. In doubles play, Rike and Graham finished 1-1. Head coach Megan Gaard said after the tournament she was happy she was allowed to make changes to her doubles line-ups during this event as it gave her the freedom to see how players match up together early in the season. One switch she made following Rike and Graham's first day of doubles play together was switching Graham for senior Leah Obert (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley). 

Overall, each Wildcat saw multiple matches this weekend with a full list of results listed below:

Singles 
Bri Dorr 0-3
Aubrey Eckstrom 1-2
Kylee Funk 2-1
Ella Graham 3-0
Maddy Knoll 2-1
Leah Obert 2-1
Ruth Rike 3-0
Reilee Schepper 2-1
Alisha Wiedmeier 0-3

Doubles
Kylee Funk/Alisha Wiedmeier | 0-2
Bri Dorr / Aubrey Eckstrom | 0-1
Bri Dorr / Reilee Schepper | 1-1
Aubrey Eckstrom / Maddy Knoll | 2-1
Ella Graham / Ruth Rike | 1-1
Leah Obert / Ruth Rike | 1-0