Viking netters defeat Comets with adjusted line-up

By Becky Walz,

Thursday, April 13, 2023 10:56 am

In their second home meet of the season, the Decorah girls tennis team defeated Charles City Tuesday, April 11, 8-1.  The varsity lineup was moderately adjusted to provide match play opportunities for the less experienced varsity members and up-and-coming JV players in both singles and doubles, and the Decorah athletes stepped up to the challenge.
In singles, Evon Leitz slid seamlessly into the No. 1 position, defeating her opponent 6-2, 6-3; likewise, freshman Olivia Huinker moved into the No. 2 singles spot smoothly, winning 6-4, 6-2.  With steady groundstrokes, Camryn Holland defeated her opponent at No. 3 singles; senior Jenna Hartz battled at No. 4 singles, winning her first set in a tie break but ultimately falling in a third-set tie-breaker.  Newcomers Klaara Short at No. 5 singles and Mara Branum at No. 6 singles didn’t back down in the face of tough competition with both winning tight matches.
In doubles, experienced doubles duo Annalise Skarade and Haley Gossman once again took full control of their No. 1 doubles match and earned a “double bagel” 6-0, 6-0.  With amazing net play, Olivia Huinker and Klaara Short achieved a solid win at No. 2 doubles, 6-1, 6-2. Varsity newcomer Kaitlyn Bjork partnered with Jaidyn Duvel at No. 3 doubles, and the pair refused to back down.  After falling behind in the first set 1-4, the two battled back to win the first set in a tiebreak and the second set 7-5.
Decorah JV was also highly successful; lead by coaches Kristy Schilling and Annika Krieg, the girls took full advantage of the beautiful weather, winning 15 matches, tying seven and losing only three.
The Vikings will hit the courts again Friday, April 14, in a make-up match at Oelwein at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, Decorah will compete at Osage at 4:30 p.m.

Singles: No. 1 Evon Leitz (Dec) defeated Kaitie Pritchard (CC) 6-2, 6-3; No. 2 Olivia Huinker (Dec) defeated Sophia Jensen (CC) 6-4, 6-2; No. 3 Camryn Holland (Dec) defeated Liz Oleson (CC) 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 Hannah Hoffman (CC) defeated Jenna Hartz (Dec) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, (10-7); No. 5 Klaara Short (Dec) defeated Maggie Boss (CC) 6-2, 2-6, (10-6); Mara Branum (Dec) defeated Rylee De Boest (CC) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles: No. 1 Annalise Skrade/Haley Gossman (Dec) defeated Katie Pritchard/Sophia Jensen (CC) 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 Olivia Huinker/Klaara Short (Dec) defeated Liz Oleson/Maggie Boss (CC) 6-1, 6-2; No. 3 Kaitlyn Bjork/Jaidyn Duvel (Dec) defeated Hannah Hoffman/Rylee De Boest (CC) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5

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