In their opening match of the year the Hi-Liner boy’s tennis squad showed some growth from last year but were unable to secure the win in their opening match of the year against the Fargo Davies Eagles.
Valley City got off to a strong start by taking two of the three matches in doubles play with Miles Taylor and Kellen Westman picking up a gritty three set win in their opening match of the year. Head Coach Matt Neilson provided his insights on his top doubles teams strong start to the season; “Miles and Kellen played neutral balls better in that third set with putting away offensive balls to finish off the victory.”
Taylor would also pickup another three set win in singles play this time against Thor Cameron. Neilson say’s that if his number one player continues to work on developing his footwork that he will be a force to be reckon with in the EDC. The other win in singles play came from freshman Quin Kruger, who Neilson said displayed excellent composure for such a young player, as he was able to put away a convincing straight sets win.
Kruger also paired up with Noah Tulp in doubles play to pick up the final win of the evening for Valley City as once again the determining third and final set came down to a super tiebreaker. Valley City went 3-1 against Davies in games that went to three sets, unfortunately that one blemish would prove just enough for Davies to pull out the win as the Eagles bounced back from a slow start in doubles play to thoroughly control the singles action winning three of the five matchups.
Despite the tough loss Coach Neilson’s spirits weren’t dampened by the result. “What an opening day. We have come as close as 3-6 against Davies, but we have never been as close as tied 4-4 with one remaining. We pulled out many clutch points, deuces, and we were 3-1 in super tiebreakers. Our players follow our pillars and know that their teammates and coaches trust them. If this is the precursor for the rest of the season, we are going to have a lot of fun!”
The next action for the Hi-Liner Tennis team is Thursday at Fargo Shanley with varsity at Island Park and JV at Kennedy Elementary starting at 4:00 PM.
Results: Valley City listed first
Valley City: 4
Fargo Davies: 5
Singles:
- Miles Taylor defeated Thor Cameron 6-4, 4-6, 12-10
- Colin Hoff lost to Eli Sandvik 6-0, 6-1
- Quin Kruger defeated Breckun Metcalf 6-3, 6-3
- Kellen Westman lost to Max Mercil 6-0, 6-3
- Cole Haugen lost to Chase Johnson 6-1, 3-6, 10-5
- Emery Olson lost to Reid Johnson 6-1, 6-1
Doubles:
- Taylor/Westman defeated Sandvik/Metcalf 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
- Hoff/Matthew Holm lost to Cameron/Mercil 6-0, 6-4
- Kruger/Noah Tulp defeated Johnson/Xavior Ames 6-4, 4-6, 10-4