FARGO, N.D. - A third win in the last four matchups for the Minnesota State University Moorhead tennis team improves the team's record Sunday. The Dragons, 5-9 overall and 4-5 in the Northern Sun, took down the Bemidji State Beavers with a final of 8-1 as the regular season finale nears.
The Dragons' recent success on the court continued Sunday morning when the team began matches at 8 a.m. in Courts Plus. Only the No. 5 spot faltered for MSUM as they nearly completed a sweep on the day. The Dragons student-athletes used the singles matches to continue their recent individual success.
Jenna Galstad,
Kayla Huether and
Kaitlin McNary all extended a four-match win streak.
Alyse Grelson won five of her last six matches while
Kathryn Neubauer won four of her last five (extending back to Feb. 26).
Huether (9-5 No. 1 spot) opened the day by winning the fifth of her last six matches to continue her current hot streak. The senior faced off against the Beavers' Britney Greenwaldt and allowed just one point. Huether swept the first set and ultimatley came out victorious, 6-0, 6-1. Neubauer (3-3 No. 2 spot, 2-0 No. 3 spot) took the court in the No. 2 spot looking to improve her results from Friday. Kelli Christiansen proved to be a tough matchup as she took Nuebauer to extra sets. The Dragon fell in the first set to set the stage for the comeback. After a successful second set for Neubauer, she was able to pull out the final set to win 5-7, 6-2, 10-8.
A two-set win followed for Grelson (3-3 No. 3 spot, 4-4 No. 2 spot) to put the Dragons up 3-0. The win came against Caley Westin as a final of 6-3, 7-5. Galstad's (5-3 No. 4 spot, 1-5 No. 3 spot) recent wins mirror Huether's as she also won her fifth of the last six matches. The dominating win came against Miranda Milless, 6-1, 6-2.
The No. 5 spot gave the Beavers a glimmer of hope as
Jaime LaCoursiere (3-5 No. 5 spot, 0-6 No. 6 spot) fell to Meg Hafdahl in extra sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-10. Just as soon as the hope appeared, McNary (6-2 No. 6 spot) snatched it away to guarantee the Dragons team win on the day. McNary swept Abby Vohaska, 6-0, 6-0, to earn her fourth straight match victory.
The doubles pair of Huether and Grelson (7-7 No. 1 doubles) continued the theme of the day by sweeping BSU's Milless and Westin, 8-0. Neubauer and Galstad (2-4 No. 2 doubles) weren't handed an easy win. Christiansen and Hafdahl put up a fight to extend the set but fell to the Dragons duo, 9-7. The final match of the day featured McNary and LaCoursiere for the Dragons and Vohaska and Emily Rollins for the Beavers, and was no picnic for the two Dragons. The duo allowed five points but were able to end the day with a 8-5 win. The conclusion of the No. 3 doubles match set the final on the day at 8-1 in favor of the home team Dragons.
MSUM prepares for the last day of the regular season when they will take part in a doubleheader against Concordia College and Minnesota Duluth on April 14. Sets against the Cobbers will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a serve time of 4 p.m. against the Bulldogs. Both matchups will take place in Moorhead, Minn., at Concordia inside the Olson Forum.
