BEMIDJI EDGES PIRATE GIRLS TENNIS INDOORS AT GRAND FORKS’ CHOICE FITNESS

The Crookston Pirate Girls Tennis team wrapped up their regular season with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Bemidji Lumberjacks indoors at Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks.  The two teams have been playing the final match of the regular season indoors for many years as a way to get ready for the Section tournament that is played indoors.

Only three courts were available, so three matches went out at a time.  The three doubles matches were the first to take the court and Bemidji swept all three matches.  Bemidji won the second and third doubles matches in straight sets, but the first doubles match went to three sets.  Crookston’s second doubles team of Halle Bruggeman and Emma Gunderson lost the first set 6-2 but bounced back to win the second set 6-4.  The third set was competitive, and Bemidji won 10-7 to win the match, taking a 3-0 lead in the team score.  “The second doubles team played well,” said Pirate Coach Cody Brekken. “Emma and Halle played tough and it was good to see their improvement from the first time they played each other.”
The next three matches to take the court were second, third and fourth singles.  Emma Osborn won her fourth singles match in three sets.  After a slow start and a 6-3 loss in the first set, Emma bounced back with an impressive finish with a 6-3 victory in the second set and a 10-3 win in the third set and Crookston trailed 3-1. “Emma has been playing more singles lately,” said Coach Brekken. “She played a really good match and it is great to see her competing and picking up some wins.” Crookston’s Halle Winjum won her third singles match with a 7-5, 6-3 victory in a match with a lot of long rallies and Crookston trailed 3-2 with two matches left.  “Halle likes to play long matches and it seems like she wears down her opponents,” said Coach Brekken. “She played a great match at third singles today.”
Crookston lost the first and second doubles matches and Bemidji won the match 5-2.  Crookston was without Emma Borowicz, one of their top players and Coach Brekken was pleased with his team’s effort in the final regular-season match of the year.  “Bemidji’s one and two singles players are very good and some of the tougher opponents we will see this year,” said Coach Brekken. “This match is a win-win for everybody to get inside to get ready for the playoffs indoors.  It is nice to play a good non-section opponent like Bemidji to get us ready for the postseason.”

Crookston ends the regular season with a 9-11 record and the first round of the Section 8A Team tournament will be held on Thursday, October 10 at Fargo Courts Plus.  The Section 8A Coaches Seeding meeting will be held on Friday in Mahnomen.