Girls Tennis: John Marshall defeats Red Wing; Wingers go 1-2 in Waseca

Red Wing had difficulty adjusting to the wind gusts Monday, falling behind in nearly every match Monday and losing 5-2 to Rochester John Marshall at Twin Bluff Middle School.

The Wingers trailed in all but two matches from the outset.

“It’s the first time JM’s beat us in a few years, but they earned it,” Red Wing head coach Randy Decker said. “They were much better than they were last year.”

Decker said he expected it to be closer but John Marshall’s singles lineup was too strong for a group still learning what it takes at the varsity level.

“I thought it’d be close,” he said. “We’re just not quite there yet.”

Emily Stegora fought the wind and her serve throughout the match but hung with her opponent at No. 1 singles. Stegora is developing a better second serve, Decker said, and it still needs more time to develop accuracy. Tetzloff is a top player, he said, and Stegora gave her fits throughout the match before falling 6-4, 6-4.

"Emily’s athleticism and competitiveness gives her a shot against most players,” Decker said.

The Wingers two wins came at doubles. Both pairings made quick work of John Marshall. Junior Serena Feehan and sophomore McKenzie Muelken continued their consistent play at No. 3 doubles, taking the match 6-4, 6-1, while sophomore Lauren Brooks and junior Katie Carlson won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Brooks and Carlson did a nice job of moving John Marshall’s pair around the court and controlled the pace of play. The two used cross-court shots to keep their opponents uncomfortable while maintaining a constant stream of communication.

“It’s just working together and letting each other know the other team’s strengths and weaknesses,” Brooks said. “And encouraging each other.”

“Even if it’s a bad shot, encouraging each other,” Carlson added, “that’s what we’ve been doing all season.”

At No. 2 singles, Red Wing ninth-grader Solveig Christenson put up a strong effort in the second set but fell 6-3, 6-4 to Melissa Parry, and eighth-grader Emily Otteson also dropped a close match at No. 4 singles, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

The Wingers travel to Farmington Tuesday for the second conference match of the season.

Red Wing goes 1-2 at weekend tourney

Red Wing traveled to Waseca on Saturday, finishing the tournament 1-2.

The Wingers lost 6-1 to 15th-ranked (AA) Mankato West to start the tournament, fell 4-3 to fifth-ranked (A) Waseca and defeated Le Sueur Henderson 5-2.

Christenson won 1-6, 6-3, (10-7) at No. 1 singles for Red Wing’s only win against Mankato West.

Facing host Waseca, the Wingers tallied wins from Stegora at No. 1 singles, Kelly and Christenson at No. 1 doubles, and Carlson and Muelken at No. 3 doubles. Otteson nearly grabbed the win for Red Wing before dropping her match at No. 2 singles to Alicia Kroll 6-1, 3-6, (10-3).

In their final match of the day, the Wingers swept doubles play. Kelly and Clemons won 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1 doubles, Brooks and Carlson scored a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 2 doubles, and Feehan and Muelken breezed through their No. 3 doubles match 6-0, 6-1. Otteson defeated Sammy Kraemer 6-3, 4-6, (10-5) at No. 3 singles, and ninth-grader Morley Struss won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles to seal Red Wing’s victory.

Tags: girls tennis, red wing, sports, prep