The #10 ranked Crookston Pirate Girls Tennis team continued its outstanding play as they beat the #4 ranked Litchfield Dragons 4-3 and also beat Delano 4-3 in Litchfield. It was a long day for the Pirates, who left town at 4:00 a.m., and when they got to Litchfield around 8:00 a.m., it was raining. An eight-team tournament was scheduled but was canceled due to the rain. Crookston waited around and ended up playing in a triangular once the courts dried up and the sun came out around 12:30 p.m.
CROOKSTON VS LITCHFIELD –
The Crookston Pirates showed off their depth as they were missing one of their players, but still knocked off their third straight ranked opponent with a 4-3 victory over Litchfield in the first match of the day. The match was tied at 3-3, with Crookston picking up wins at fourth singles with Emelia Hoerner winning a hard-fought match 6-3, 6-4. “She is such a consistent player for us,” said Pirate Coach Gina Gunderson. “She continued to play great tennis and had a big win for us.”
The second doubles team of Georgia Sanders and Logan Brekken played an impressive match as they won 6-2, 6-3. “They played well and won a quick match as it was about 30 minutes,” said Coach Gunderson. “They play so well together and communicated well.” The third doubles match of Mariah Overgaard and Chloe Boll won a tight match 6-4, 6-3. “They played so well,” said Coach Gunderson. “Chloe and Mariah served well and that was big.”
Litchfield won first, second, and third singles, and the match was tied at 3-3, with first doubles the only match remaining. Crookston’s Addie Fee and Kaylie Clauson won an exciting first set 7-6 (6-2 in the tie-breaker) to take the early lead. Litchfield bounced back to win the second set 6-2 to force a third set. Fee and Clauson came up with some big points in the third set and won 10-6 to give the Pirates a 4-3 victory. “We had some girls that stepped up and played in some tough positions,” said Coach Gunderson. “The first doubles team played a great match and they were up 7-3 in the third set, overcame a lull, and finished strong. The entire team is playing great tennis right now.”
| CROOKSTON-4 | Litchfield-3 | Win | Score | |
| 1st | Paige Abrahamson | Isla Dille | Litch | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2nd | Ava Martin | Maya Wuatila | Litch | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 3rd | Emma LaPlante | Emma Wuatila | Litch | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 4th | Emelia Hoerner | Mercella Bruny | Crox | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1st Dub | Addie Fee Kaylie Clauson | Emma Knudson Molly Pelter | Crox | 7-6 (6-2), 2-6, 10-6 |
| 2nd | Georgia Sanders Logan Brekken | Brynn Nagel Tayah Demera | Crox | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 3rd | Chloe Boll Mariah Overgaard | Elly Woeffel Emily Michels | Crox | 6-4, 6-3 |
CROOKSTON VS DELANO –
Crookston had another great match. They were tied at 3-3 after picking up wins at fourth singles, with Emelia Hoerner winning a marathon in three sets. Emelia lost the first set 6-2 before bouncing back in impressive fashion with a 6-2 victory in the second set to force a third set. It was a great third set, and Hoerner was able to pick up some big points to win 7-5. “The first set was a tough one for Emelia,” said Coach Gunderson. “She settled down and fought back and came up with a big win for us.”
The second doubles team of Ava Martin and Logan Brekken won another close match. They won the first set 6-4 and then won the second set in a thrilling 7-6. “Ava and Logan communicated well and that led to them playing a great match,” said Coach Gunderson.
The third victory came at third doubles where Chloe Boll and Mariah Overgaard won both sets by 6-4 scores. “Mariah and Chloe played great in both of their matches today,” said Coach Gunderson. “They played a great all-around match.”
The last match on the court was the first doubles team for the second straight match. This time, it was Addie Fee and Georgia Sanders. They lost a heartbreaker in the first set 7-6 but bounced back to win the second set 6-4. The third set was a thriller, as Fee and Sanders were able to get some big points and outlasted their opponents to win the set 7-5 and the match 4-3.”They finished strong with Georgia and Addie playing well at the net,” said Coach Gunderson. “They served well and that was a key to the win in that match and all our matches today.”
Crookston is 16-5 on the year and will compete in the Northwest Quad in Thief River Falls on Tuesday. “We had a great week this week and the girls keep working hard,” said Coach Gunderson. “They didn’t want to play after the rain delay after sitting around for several hours and leaving at four in the morning. We went to eat breakfast and came back, and Coach Katie Fee gave them a pep talk, and they came out ready to play.”
| CROOKSTON-4 | Delano-3 | Winner | Score | |
| 1st | Kaylie Clauson | Kai Hyn Pink | Del | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2nd | Paige Abrahamson | Maddi Meister | Del | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 3rd | Emma LaPlante | Brynn Spangler | Del | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 4th | Emelia Hoerner | Eleanor Hajas | Crox | 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
| 1st Dub | Addie Fee Georgia Sanders | Maddie Ring Eva Huotan | Crox | 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2nd | Ava Martin Logan Brekken | Hailey Vetruba Rachel Wasserman | Crox | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 3rd | Chloe Boll Mariah Overgaard | Reese Black Shelby Wainer | Crox | 6-4, 6-4 |
