VALLEY CITY, N.D. (Newsdakota.com) – Valley City won four out of six singles matches but dropped all three doubles to Fargo Shanley as the Deacons pulled out a 5-4 win over the Hi-Liners in boys tennis Thursday afternoon at the North Courts.
Blake Triebold dropped his first match of the season when he had to pull out of the match at #1 singles. The match was tied 3-3 when Triebold, who has been battling an illness, had to pull out. Triebold’s opponent Finnian O-Donnell, is a state title contender.
Seth Zeltinger, Kai Kringlie, Trey Cope and Casey Kruger all picked up wins in singles.
Here are Coach Nielson’s thoughts on the match:
As a team, we played the most complete match in singles. Blake was fighting illness and was at 3-3 against a state title contender before pulling out. Seth was fully in control against one of the top #2’s in the state. Kai had his most complete match. Derek got up a set against a tough opponent before Runcorn caught fire. Trey and Casey both found ways to win at 5 and 6 singles. It was fun to watch that high of quality tennis.
On the doubles court, we were separate individuals playing the game. We were more worried about ourselves than our partner. We dwelled on our partner’s mistakes instead of lifting them up and encouraging them. We have two big matches in the next two weeks. If we are going to have a chance to win them, it will be because we figured out how to be a team on the doubles court and how to make our partner better.
Overall – we put a scare into a team that may end up being the #4 seed and a perennial state qualifier. We were one set away in singles from winning the overall match. We were two games in doubles from winning 5-4. We are right there. If we come together as a team in practice and we come together as a team on the doubles court – no matter our partner – we can reach even a higher level. I’m proud of our team and our fight today. Let’s get back to work tomorrow and continue to grow.
JV Results:
Gavin Swenson/Collin Hoff won 6-4
Kellen Westman/Matthew Holm lost 2-6
Jacob Kruger/Jared Burke lost 6-7 (5-7)
Jayden Johnson/M. Holm won 6-3
Noah Tulp/K. Westman won 6-0
C. Hoff/J. Kruger won 6-4
N. Tulp/J. Burke lost 0-6
G. Swenson/Emmett Olson won 6-3
M. Holm/N. Tulp lost 1-6
MIles Taylor/K. Westman won 6-0, 6-0
Gavin Swenson/Collin Hoff won 6-4
Kellen Westman/Matthew Holm lost 2-6
Jacob Kruger/Jared Burke lost 6-7 (5-7)
Jayden Johnson/M. Holm won 6-3
Noah Tulp/K. Westman won 6-0
C. Hoff/J. Kruger won 6-4
N. Tulp/J. Burke lost 0-6
G. Swenson/Emmett Olson won 6-3
M. Holm/N. Tulp lost 1-6
MIles Taylor/K. Westman won 6-0, 6-0
Final score: 7-4
Coach Susan Kringlie’s comments: The JV squad came out strong today against a young Shanley team. Sophomore Gavin Swenson went 2-0 on the day with strong ground strokes and aggressive net play. Freshman Jacob Kruger showed great play with more consistent serving and crosscourt shots while seventh-graders Jared Burke and Noah Tulp continue to improve at footwork and racket preparation. A total team effort was shown today as the players gain valuable experience each match.