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Rogers girls tennis begins season strong
ZANE DOUGLAS zane. douglas @ apgecm. com
Waiting came to an end last week for high school sports as Rogers girls tennis played three matches in an event at Champlin Park on Aug. 21.
The Royals played Champlin Park, Rosemount and Buffalo in the all-day event with the Royals coming out on top in two of their three matchups.
Against the Bison, Rogers just held on for a 4-3 victory thanks to their final two doubles spots. Seniors Ashlyn Clark and Haley Strombeck won 6-2, 6-3 over Jayda Sorenson and Kennedy Steffes at No. 2 doubles. At the final doubles spot, Ashlyn Dickrell and Ella Bahneman won 3-6, 7-6, 10-5 in what turned out the be the deciding dual.
Jennifer Christiansen and Brooke Schreiner lost 6-1, 6-4 to Buffalo’ s top doubles pair of Maddie Kuzma and Sabrina Friesz. The loss hurt, but the Royals secured two of the three doubles matches.
No. 1 singles Everly Paulson lost 6-0, 6-2 to Rosary Gilbertson of the Bison. No. 4 singles also lost for Rogers. Addison Moen fought Buffalo’ s Margit Jayson in a close battle, eventually losing 6-2, 4-6, 11-9.
Sophomore Clare Dekarske took care of business 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3 singles for the Royals with the No. 2 singles spot becoming very important. Sophomore Ivy Welter took the first set 6-2, but had that flipped around on her to lose the second set 2-6. Welter held off Kate Siemek in a tight tiebreak and won 12-10 to win the match and the decisive point for the Royals.
The second match took place for the Royals against Rosemount, this time with Christianson and Schreiner winning the top doubles spot 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. Moen and Strombeck lost 1-6, 6-4, 10-2 to the Irish’ s second doubles team, but Clark and Makenna Cramer picked up the slack with a 6-2, 6-2 straight set win.
Paulson dominated in the top singles spot, winning 6-1, 6-3 over Anna Siwek, but that would be the only other point for the Royals. Welter lost 6-4, 6-3, Dekarske lost 6-1, 6-4 and Bahneman now at No. 4 singles lost 6-2, 6-4.
ZANE DOUGLAS / MONTICELLO TIMES
Rogers No. 1 singles player Everly Paulson smacks a serve to Champlin Park’ s Finley Kelleher in a preseason matchup on Friday, Aug. 21. Paulson came back to win 5-7, 7-6, 10-5.
The other match the Royals played that day wasn’ t quite as close.
ZANE DOUGLAS / MONTICELLO TIMES
Rogers top singles player Everly Paulson hits a backhand in a win over Champlin Park on Friday, Aug. 21. Paulson lost the first set but came back to win in a third-set tiebreaker.
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Rogers steamrolled past Champlin Park 7-0, winning every match, starting with an epic No. 1 singles bout. Paulson and Finley Kelleher met and went the distance, with Kelleher winning the first set 7-5, but Paulson grabbing the second set in a tiebreak 7-6. Paulson pulled away to win 10-5 for a comeback victory.
Dekarske was given the second spot this match and she won 6-1, 3-6, 10-8. The Royals fell on the right side the one and two matchups, giving way for easier wins from Welter at three( 6-0, 6-3), and Clark at No. 4( 6-1, 6-2)
Christianson and Moen teamed up to win 6-1, 6-1 at the top doubles spot, but the other two teams split and were forced
ZANE DOUGLAS / MONTICELLO TIMES
Clara Dekarske fires a serve off in a win over Champlin Park’ s Camille Palmer 6-1, 3-6, 10-8 on Friday, Aug. 21. Dekarske and the Royals won 7-0.
into tiebreaks. Schreiner and Strombeck won 4-6, 7-5, 10-8 and Greta Osen teamed up with Dickrell to win 6-3, 4-6, 13-11.