DES MOINES, IOWA – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team began its 2015 regular season with a pair of challenging matches against Division I opponents in the University of North Dakota and Drake University. The Gusties fell to both North Dakota and Drake by scores of 7-0 in separate matches played at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center this past Saturday and Sunday.
“It was a great weekend for us and a big learning experience,” said head coach Jon Carlson. “To play that level of competition on one hand, raised the level of our play, but it also exposed the areas we need to work on. Normally you’d think after losing two matches back-to-back that the kids would be disappointed, but they’re excited to get back to practice this week and fix some of the things that didn’t go our way.”
In Saturday’s match with North Dakota, sophomore Michaela Schulz had the Gusties’ closest match of the day with a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Callie Ronkowski at first singles. Senior Laurel Krebsbach also played her opponent, Lacey Sprinkel close, but fell by identical 6-3 scores at the second singles position.
Sunday’s match with Drake proved to be no easier, as the Gusties were swept in both singles and doubles play. Schulz again had the closest match of the afternoon as she played to a 6-4, 6-4 loss to the Bulldogs’ Summer Brills at second singles.
“Overall, I was very pleased with the weekend and think it’s a great starting point to build on,” said Carlson. “North Dakota and Drake both provided us with incredible competition and I’m excited our team was exposed to that.”
Gustavus’s Varsity 2 team also competed over the weekend in Saint Peter, and suffered a 9-0 loss to the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday evening and a 7-2 loss to Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday morning.
“Our matches back home were, again, great for highlighting things we need to keep working on,” said Carlson. “However, they were also great for exposing our first-years to some outstanding competition.”
Against Sioux Falls, first-year tandem Laura Martin and Taylor Shortly had the closest doubles match of the day at the first position, but fell to the Cougars’ Emily Erickson and Alison Kauss 8-6. In singles play, junior Sofia Huitron played a marathon match, but ended up falling to Sioux Falls’ Haylie Noha 6-7, 7-5, (8-10) at the fifth spot.
In Sunday’s match with Southwest Minnesota State, Shortly and Martin again teamed up, but this time came away with an 8-6 win over the Mustangs’ Gabriele Tellijohn and Crystal Overbaugh. In singles play, Shortly tallied the Gusties’ lone point, as she ground out a 7-5, 5-7, (11-9) victory over Tellijohn at first singles.
“Of course it would have been nice to have the matches be a little bit closer, but the benefit we got out of the weekend more than makes up for the results that show up in the box score and can only help us as we go forward,” said Carlson.
Gustavus (0-4), will split its squad again for its next matches this Sunday. Carlson will send one team to Duluth for matches with the University of Minnesota, Crookston (8:30 a.m.) and the University of Minnesota, Duluth (noon) and will send the other to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a match with Division I University of Northern Iowa at 10 a.m.
North Dakota 7, Gustavus 0 | Drake 7, Gustavus 0
Sioux Falls 9, Gustavus 0 | Southwest Minnesota State 7, Gustavus 2