By Becky Walz,
Hosting the regional tennis singles and doubles competition Wednesday, the Decorah girls’ tennis team competed against seven other teams to see who would represent Region 5 at the state meet. At the end of the day, it was both Viking duos battling it out for the top spot, as both punched tickets to the June 2-3 state meet at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.
In singles, Kendra Bigler and Kristi Kjome-Johnson made it all the way to the quarterfinals before losing a match.
“Kendra started strong and won her first match against Faith Nielson of Osage in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. She then played the No. 3-seeded single’s player in the tournament from Dubuque Wahlert, Wanti Du. In a nip and tuck first set, Kendra pulled out a close 7-5 victory which broke the will of the Dubuque girl and allowed Kendra to close out the match with a 6-1 set victory. Finding herself one win away from an appearance in the state meet, Kendra came out on fire and stayed with the No. 1 player from Charles City, and the tournament’s No. 2-seeded, Kayla Kellogg until she won the first set, 6-4. Feeling the wear and tear of two and a half matches, Kendra suffered her first set loss of the day, 1-6 in the match’s second set. Gathering her determination, she again pushed her third and deciding set to the edge of victory before losing a heartbreaker 5-7,” said Coach Larry Berland.
Fourth-seeded Kjome-Johnson took the same energy and determination into her first match of the day and eliminated Dubuque Wahlert’s Hannah Hefel in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5. The Viking’s second match was against a solid player from Heather Viers of Charles City. Playing aggressive, mistake free tennis, she subdued the comet player in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Next matched up against the No. 1-seeded Victoria Schwarting of Osage, she came within an eyelash of winning the first set before falling 5-7. Kjome-Johnson would not give up without a fight before losing an exciting back and forth second set, 5-7, 3-6.
“You just cannot expect more out of two players than what they gave of themselves in their singles matches,” noted Coach Berland.
Playing in the consolation match to determine third place, in case either first or second place cannot compete, Bigler defeated her teammate, 6-0, 6-4.
While that excitement is going on, Decorah’s two doubles teams are making noise of their own.
Tournament No. 1 seeded, Cady Peterson and Morgan Brauer took the court against Clear Lake duo, Haley Jackson and Dani Monnenga in their first-round match. Ready to play, the Decorah pair came away with a convincing 6-0, 6-0 win. The second round found them matched up against a Dubuque Wahlert team. Raising their level of play, they flashed their racket skills and won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. In their third match of the day, two well prepared Aplington-Parkersburg doubles players stood in the way of Decorah having a doubles team represent them in the state tourney. Sensing what the match meant, Peterson and Brauer came out firing on all cylinders and eliminated the A-P pair in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.
While all this action is going on, Decorah’s No. 3-seeded doubles team of Annalise Skrade and Mara Holland were flashing their racket skills as well. Taking on a feisty doubles team from Aplington-Parkersburg in their first match of the day, the Vikings had to settle into playing strong, solid tennis. In their second round, Skrade/Holland encountered a Charles City team fresh off a tough battle against Osage. Feeling no reason to delay a positive ending, the Decorah duo cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Their next match meant either staying home on June 2-3 or rising to the level needed to defeat the tournament’s No. 2-seeded team from Dubuque Wahlert. After leading 5-2 in the first set, Wahlert stormed back to take a win five games in a row and take the first set, 7-5. The duo added power to precision and took the second set, 6-4. Finding no reason to change tactics that worked, Skrade/Holland continued to pour on the pressure and came away with a huge win, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. With that victory, a Decorah single’s player or doubles’ team had eliminated each of the quality representatives from a strong Dubuque Wahlert team.
With both Decorah doubles’ teams going to the state tourney, the only thing left to decide was the double’s champion and the double’s runner-up.
“I told the girls it would be the toughest match of the day and it did not disappoint as the match went to three sets before Skrade/Holland won the championship, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5. Having to play your teammates and knowing that one of them are going to lose is not the way to end a super tournament showing by both doubles’ teams. I cannot say enough good things about the girl’s determination to improve and their willingness to listen and try what the coaches suggested throughout the season. Not knowing what this season would bring after a complete year away from the courts, all of the girls that were out for tennis this year improved at every practice. I couldn’t be prouder of the way in which they represented Decorah up to this point,” concluded Coach Berland.
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