Bombers fall short in title match to Lourdes

Cannon Falls needed to sweep doubles play and grab a point from singles to beat perennial section champ Rochester Lourdes in the Section 1A title match Monday, and the Bombers nearly got it.

Cannon Falls (20-7) had all three doubles matches go three sets, but found just one victory in a 5-2 loss to the Eagles.

“We gave them a match and a run for it today,” Bombers head coach Paul Norstad said. “I got a lot of good comments about how hard they played and how prepared they were.”

Sophomores Kaesey Glaess and Hannah Boman picked up the lone victory in doubles for Cannon Falls with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Sydney Allison and Grace Gorman.

Bombers seniors Ashley Banitt and Kayla Anderson had defeated Lourdes’ Kristen Brandhagen and Rachel Kamath last Tuesday at No. 1 doubles, but fell in the section title match 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Juniors Allie Serres and Dana Stoll also fell in a three-set match for Cannon Falls. Serres and Stoll took the first set, but Rachel Morice and Jess Alexander rallied back for the Eagles in a 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 victory.

Senior Megan Ripley, who moved from No. 2 doubles to No. 3 singles for the match, came up with the only singles victory for the Bombers with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Kayley Josephs.

“We were points away from closing it out,” Norstad said. “I was real happy with the way the girls played.”

The individual tournament begins Friday in Rochester.

Bombers sweep Lake City to reach title match

Second-seeded Cannon Falls pulled off a 7-0 victory over the Lake City girls tennis team Monday in the Section 1A team tournament semifinals at the Rochester Athletic Club to advance to the Section 1A championship match.

Senior Erica Zimmerman rallied from a first-set defeat for a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 11-9 victory at No. 1 singles against junior Amy Orthaus for the Bombers (20-7) and the rest of the matches came in straight set wins.

Junior Allie Serres won 6-2, 6-2 against junior Haley Webster at No. 3 singles and senior Allanah Kessler won 6-3, 6-2 against sophomore Josie Kuchinka at No. 4 singles.

Bombers seniors Kayla Anderson and Ashley Banitt won 6-4, 6-1 over junior Katie Wallerich and senior Kort Nyberg. Senior Megan Ripley and junior Dana Stoll added a 6-4, 6-3 victory against junior Allison Harvey and freshman Braeden McElmury. Sophomores Kaesey Glaess and Hannah Boman beat juniors Jaeda Engelstad and Emily Moechnig 6-2, 6-4.

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