The Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis team had its first match of the season and lost to the Bemidji Lumberjacks 5-2 in a match played indoors at the Gillette Wellness Center on the Bemidji State campus.
CROOKSTON VS BEMIDJI
The Pirates braved the snow and slushy roads as the weather got worse as they got closer to Bemidji, but they made it, and it was worth the trip as they opened the season on a good note. Even though they lost, they played some great matches and picked up two wins against a good Bemidji team. The first victory of the day came at fourth singles, with Ian Deleon getting his first start at fourth singles and taking full advantage of the opportunity with an exciting win. He won the first set 6-4 and lost the second set 6-3, which forced a third set. He won the third set 10-0 to win the match.
The second victory came from Grant Funk at second singles as he won the first set 6-4 and continued his stellar play with a 6-2 victory in the second set to give the Pirates their second victory of the match.
Gunnar Groven played a solid match and lost a hard-fought battle at third singles. He won the first set 7-6 before losing the next two sets.
The second doubles team of Colton Osborn and Alex Zammert played well in a hard-fought loss. They lost the first set 6-3 and then lost a nail-biter 7-6 in the second set.
The Pirates fall to 0-1 on the year, and their triangular at East Grand Forks on Tuesday, April 7, has been postponed to May 1.
| Crookston-2 | Bemidji-5 | Win | Score | |
| 1st Singles | Reggie Winjum | Owen Lappinga | Bem | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2nd | Grant Funk | Josh Arel | Crox | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 3rd | Gunnar Groven | Blake Friese | Bem | 6-7, 6-2, 10-0 |
| 4th | Ian Deleon | Eliho Broten | Crox | 6-4, 3-6, 11-9 |
| 1st Doubles | Sam Widseth Sawyer Anderson | Chase Fairchild Peter Matthews | Bem | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2nd | Colton Osborn Alex Zammert | Logan Berg Ethan Frank | Bem | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 3rd | Jacob Halvorson Marshall Hanson | Hudson Moussa Paul Gifford | Bem | 6-1, 6-1 |
