Girls Tennis: Wingers drop conference match at Northfield

Northfield stopped Red Wing’s four-match winning streak Thursday with a 4-3 victory in Northfield.

The Wingers dropped close matches at No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles in the loss.

“It was a good match,” Red Wing head coach Randy Decker said. “We played well. Northfield’s good, they’re one of the teams that can match our depth.”

Eighth-grader Emily Otteson stayed on a roll for the Wingers (9-8, 2-3 Missota), getting her fifth victory in a row against Rainah Ward at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-2.

“Her game has jumped up a little bit,” Decker said. “She’s stepping up and … she’s really dictating play more now. She’s on a roll. It’s impressive what confidence can do for you as a player. She’s on a great run.”

Red Wing senior Katie Kelly and junior Emily Stegora won 6-2, 7-5 at No. 1 doubles and juniors Serena Feehan and Katie Carlson won 0-6, 6-3, 6-1. It was an odd match at No. 3 doubles, Decker said, as the pair was out of sorts in the first set but recovered to put in another stellar performance.

“They’ve been tremendous for us,” Decker said of Feehan and Carlson. “They knew they were not moving enough and they needed to communicate a little more. They’ve figured things out. It was really good to see a team come back. (The first set) was a little surprising. The second two sets they just took care of business.”

The Wingers host New Prague Tuesday at Twin Bluff Middle School.

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