DICKINSON — With snow still on the ground and a chill in the air, Dickinson girl’s tennis had their home opener indoors on Monday. The Midgets hosted their opponents, Williston, inside the West River Community Center for the varsity team’s first region match of the season.
The Midgets’ (1-0, 3-1) victory over the Coyotes (0-1, 0-2) was obtained through solid scoring from both the doubles and singles events. The final match score was 7-2.
Head coach Lia Bradley said she was happy with the squad's performance, and that everybody did their job — even from the sideline, offering constant motivation for one another.
“I am very proud of the whole team,” Bradley said. “It's been awhile since we saw Williston and we didn't really know what they had done through the year so it was kind of up in the air. I thought some of the matches were a little close, at times I was a little nervous, but the girls ended up pulling through and we ended up getting quite a few wins.”
It began with the doubles competition and their No. 1 team, Lola Homiston and Valeria Bradley collecting the first win after two sets (6-2, 6-3). They started off well, matching one another's energy, with their skills complementing each other.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bradley mentions that Lola’s hard work paid off showing a stronger performance at the net in both her double and single matches.
“That was where she was missing shots against the Jamestown team,” Bradley said. “We have been working on volleys this week and we saw a great improvement.”
Their No. 2 team was on the opposite-end of the stick losing their match, with 6-0 and 6-1 sets. The team consisted of Julianna Kadrmas and Rachell Dazell and unfortunately for Dazell, she would also falter in singles.
The first set started off with a heated exchange of shots that went to a tie-breaker, who the Williston player, Auy Ator would take. The momentum stayed with the Ator who would win the second set 6-1.
“I am super proud of Rachel and the way she played,” Bradley said. “I think she is going to do well at number 5.”
Eighth graders Shayna Klitzke and Morgan Daley, who Bradley has labeled as a powerhouse in doubles, came away with a win at 6-2 and 6-1.
The two’s confidence carried over to their singles matches, both only needing two sets to claim their first singles win of the season. Daley finished both her sets with a 6-4 margin and Klitzke dominated her opponent with a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Overall Bradley said she sees strong improvement for their practices, but doesn't want them to give any unnecessary points away their next regional match that will be in Bismarck against Century. They recently defeated them in a 4-1 doubles competition in Minot, but Bradley does not underestimate their program.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I hoping to have a good result, but we cant take them lightly because Century has a big tennis tradition and they have lots of numbers,” Bradley said. “We can't let up. We have to go in and give them our best efforts.”
