CROOKSTON PIRATE GIRL’S TENNIS DROPS DUAL AT #10 THIEF RIVER FALLS

The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Tennis team suffered a 6-1 loss in a dual against the #10 ranked Thief River Falls Prowlers in a section 8A match played in Thief River Falls.

Thief River Falls looked the part of the tenth-ranked team in the State dropping just three sets across seven matches. “Top to bottom they’re tough,” explained Crookston head coach Cody Brekken. “They have very smart tennis players across their ten spots. No one really crushes the ball, but everybody gets the ball back every single point, and they’re just very consistent. We’ve got to get better at also being as consistent and riding the emotional roller coaster a little better. If we miss a couple of shots, we can’t let the doubt cloud the head. Some of those scores did get out of control a little bit.” Crookston’s lone win came in fourth singles where Halle Winjum beat Bell Hamre 6-2, 6-0. “In the fourth singles, with Halle Winjum, she just fights and fights and fights,” noted Brekken. “It doesn’t matter what the score is, she’s just running every point. She sets herself up, and you could see it in the other player. She just let it roll our of hand after Halle got a few games up on her. You really see that mental part of tennis weighs on these kids, so it’s very important to keep that even keel head and keep playing.” In second doubles Eden Haller and Emma Osborn dropped the first set 4-6 but responded by taking the second set 6-3. Ultimately, the Prowlers’ pairing of Brea Prickett and Gabby Steele managed to win the dual’s only three-set match winning the final set 6-3. “I’m kind of mixed,” summarized Brekken of his feelings after a disappointing match against a tough opponent. “I’d like to see some of these scores a little better, but in all honesty, we’re not as far away as some of the scores are as far as what I know these girls are capable of doing. We just kind of need to fund some enthusiasm again. I wish we were closer in some of those scores, but as far as getting our play up (to that level) we’re closer than we think.”

Crookston drops to 4-6 in duals this year and returns to the court for a dual Thursday at East Grand Forks starting at 4 P.M.