FARGO, N.D. (Matt Nielson/NewsDakota.com) – Last season versus Fargo North, the Valley City boys tennis team won all three doubles matches then lost all six singles matches. Tuesday, the Hi-Liners lost two doubles matches and won five singles matches for a 6-3 win over the Spartans for what is believed to be the first win over Fargo North in 15 years.
Points, games, and matches were tight all the way through the line-up. Blake and Kai teamed up at one doubles and found themselves at 5-5 in the second set after cruising in the first. They were able to play level and aggressive in the last two games to close out the match. In singles, they both controlled point beautifully with accuracy and consistency. Blake pulled up his opponent and then hit passing shots. Kai waited for an approach shot, hit it solid with placement and then finished the point out with a volley.
We struggled at 2 and 3 doubles today. We were over hitting, missing returns, out of place, and had poor footwork with overheads. The teams we played today were good and beat us, but I know we have so much more potential than what was shown today. As a coaching staff, we have identified what we will be working on in practice tomorrow as we have a match on Thursday. These matches will be a learning experience and also a driving factor in motivation with our team moving forward.
Derek had a bad match-up today. Derek likes going to the net. His opponent was a lob king. I watched about 15 good lobs without him every hitting it out. Derek continued to persevere, but it wasn’t his day.
Seth and Trey turned it around in their singles matches. Both were hitting solid attacking their strokes. They both hit consistent. Seth was hitting his spots. Trey was playing excellent defense by just getting hard balls back in play. They both figured out how to beat their opponent. Nice matches.
Max and Alex won their first match by staying loose and just playing tennis. In the next matches, they played tentative and overthought their shots leading to hitting weak balls. They will use this as a learning experience of how they need to play in the moment and play each point with confidence and to win.
We are proud of the resilience of our team after dropping two heart breakers in doubles and finding a way to win in singles. Excellent team win gentlemen!
Valley City is now 3-0 on the season overall and in the Eastern Dakota Conference. Next action is at home at 4pm against Fargo Davies on Thursday.
Valley City 6
Fargo North 3
Singles:
1. Blake Triebold defeated Jaron Dufault 6-1, 6-4
2. Seth Zeltinger defeated Ryan Kennelly 6-1, 6-4
3. Kai Kringlie defeated Brett Skeldon 6-3, 6-3
4. Derek Bear lost to Mickey Kenney 6-2, 6-1
5. Trey Cope defeated Garrett Tostensen 6-2, 7-6(3)
6. Casey Kruger defeated Addie Baker 6-3, 6-0
Doubles:
1. Triebold/Kringlie heated Dufault/Kennelly 6-1, 7-5
2. Zeltinger/D.Bear lost to Skeldan/Kenney 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
3. Cope/Ethan Bear lost to Tostensen/Baker 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
Varsity Exhibition:
Max Magnuson/Alex Rogelstad won 6-4, lost 1-6, and lost 2-6
JV Results:
Singles:
Miles Taylor won 6-2
Collin Hoff lost 0-6
Gavin Swenson won 7-6 (7-5)
Jared Burke won 6-0
Emmett Olson won 6-4
Doubles:
M. Taylor/Jayden Johnson lost 2-6
E. Olson/G. Swenson won 6-4
C. Hoff/Matthew Holm lost 3-6
Jacob Kruger/Noah Tulp lost 2-6
J. Burke/J. Johnson lost 2-6
G. Swenson/N. Tulp lost 1-6
C. Hoff/Miles Taylor won 6-1
J. Kruger/M. Holm lost 3-6
J. Johnson/J. Kruger lost 6-7 (5-7)
N. Tulp/M. Holm won 6-4
C. Hoff/J. Burke lost 4-6
E. Olson/M. Taylor won 6-0
Match total score: VC 8, Fargo North 10
Coach Susan Kringlie’s comments: Valley City JV faced tougher competition today at Fargo North. Our singles matches showed how smart our players are, including big wins for Sophomore Gavin Swenson and 7th grader Jared Burke. Matthew Holm and Noah Tulp continue to improve their doubles strategy and returning serves. The wind was difficult at times to measure and players had to adjust their games. Overall everyone gave full effort while following our COVID guidelines.