After a surprising run last year, which saw the Hi-Liners capture the EDC regular-season championship, Valley City began its title defense with a commanding 9-0 sweep over EDC rivals Fargo North.

The defending State Doubles Champions, Breck Sufficool & Abby Martineck, began their season with a straight sets win while working through some early season rust. The second doubles match of the day previewed two promising Sophomores as Kailee Nielson & Georgia Zaun won in dominating fashion. Head Coach Matt Nielson was especially impressed by the effort: “They only dropped one game in the match. Kailee played loose and angled the ball well. Georgia then went on to singles and played the best match I’ve seen her play ever, slowing the game down, taking some pace off, while placing the ball where she wanted to dictate the points.”

Neilson provided his final thoughts about his team’s first match of the season: “After almost three weeks of practice, it was great to play an EDC match. Fargo North only had one player in the line-up from last year, but Coach Saville has them going in the right direction. Overall, this was a great first match for us. Being the favorite is a tougher spot to be in than the underdog. We must find how to play our game at our level even when favored in a matchup.”

The Hi-Liners’ next match will be Tuesday, April 23rd, against the Eagles of Fargo Davies. This is a clash of two of the top three teams in the EDC last year.

 

Full Results Below:

Singles

1. Breck Sufficool defeated Maria Kryjeuski 7-5, 6-0

2. Kailee Nielson defeated JJ Bratton 6-2, 6-4

3. Abby Martineck defeated Emma Burris 6-3, 6-0

4. Georgia Zaun defeated Larissa Lahaise 6-0, 6-1

5. Skye Nielson defeated Becca Webb 6-1, 6-1

6. Ella Olson defeated Bailey Kolesar 6-0, 6-2

 

Doubles:

1. Sufficool/Martineck defeated Kryjeuski/Bratton 6-3, 6-1

2. K. Nielson/Zaun defeated Burris/Lahaise 6-0, 6-1

3. S. Nielson/Alyssa Thomsen defeated Webb/Ali Tory 6-4, 6-2

 

Varsity Exhibition:

Lexi Svenningsen (7)/Sara Beierle (8) defeated Shemonti Noor/Lydia Roser 6-2, 6-2

Svenningsen/Olson defeated Kolesar/Noor 7-5

Beierle defeated Roser 6-3