The #9 ranked and #2 seed Crookston Pirate Girls Tennis team was the heavy favorite to win their first-round match and coasted to a 7-0 victory over #7 seed Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in the first round of the Section 8A Girls Team Tennis tournament held at Courts Plus in Fargo, North Dakota. “The girls played great in all seven spots,” said Pirate Coach Cody Brekken. “I think having our last two practices indoors helped us out with serving inside and knowing where the backline is.”
The first match complete was at third doubles with Crookston’s Morgan Nelson and Isabelle Smith as they shut out their opponent 6-0, 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead. The next completed match was at fourth singles with Crookston’s Paige Abrahamson also coasting to a 6-0, 6-0 victory to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The first two matches took less than 30 minutes to complete. The third match completed was second doubles as Crookston’s Kaylie Clauson and Addie Fee won 6-0, 6-0 in 35 minutes, and a few minutes later Halle Winjum won her first singles match 6-0, 6-0 to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead and assured them of advancing to the semi-finals at 5:30 p.m.The first doubles match was won by Crookston’s Halle Bruggeman and Emma Gunderson as they cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory. The last two matches were at third singles where Abby Borowicz won 6-2, 6-1, and second singles with Brekken Tull winning 6-1, 6-0 to complete the sweep for a 7-0 score. “The quick match gives us more time to get ready for the next match and I am happy with how the girls played,” said Coach Brekken.
Crookston advances to the Section 8A semi-finals and will take on #3 seed Park Rapids, who beat Parkers Prairie 5-2. The semi-final match is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
Other First-Round scores –
#4 – Wadena-Deer Creek beat #5 Roseau 7-0
#3 – Park Rapids beat #6 Parkers Prairie 5-2
#1 Staples-Motley had a bye
