DICKINSON — The Dickinson girls co-op tennis team, between Dickinson High School, Trinity and Christian Hope Academy, laid down the law at the West River Community Center’s tennis courts against Jamestown on Saturday.
They have successfully and perfectly bounced back, after narrowly losing 5-4 to Mandan on the road last Thursday, April 20th. The match against the Braves had two crucial sets go into tiebreakers and one that would be decided in a third set, Dickinson being on the losing side of all three.
This would be the fire and drive for them to go out and perform to the best of their abilities against Jamestown, amidst a rebuilding season, losing a large pool of seniors from last season. The challenge against the Blue Jays was more mental than physical, but Dickinson’s head coach Lia Bradley said that every match is opportunity to develop.
“I always tell the girls that no match is too easy and we shouldn’t take any match for granted,” Bradley said. “Anything can happen, so you have to go out there and play your best no matter what. And when you play a team that isn’t as strong, it is a good opportunity to get better in things that you can practice in the game. Sometimes it's not as easy when you are playing a tougher team, because you are a little bit more tentative and a little bit more nervous.”
Freshman Shayna Klitzke earned a pair of golden sets against Jamestown’s Isabel Lefevre (6-0, 6-0), just as she did against Mandan’s Audrey Duppong. Her and junior Emma Stillings are still undefeated in singles in the season, Stillings winning her game against eighth grader Daphne Olson (6-0, 6-0).
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Senior and co-captain Julianne Kadrmas would also collect the W off two golden sets against Elise Roberts and would be paired with fellow senior and co-captain Rachel Dazell in doubles to win with a perfect score card.
“I think we are a very strong team this year, both athletically and mentally and we have a really strong team bond,” Kadrmas said. “I am a captain this year and so I am super proud of our team and I am just proud of every player and how they work so hard to get those points and win their matches.”
Freshman Morgan Daley took coach Bradley's words of advice to heart and made sure to put everything into her matches, winning her singles 6-0, 6-2 and her doubles with Klitzke 6-1, 6-0.
Daley is proving to be an ace tennis player, using her tall stature to her advantage. Her aggressive, at-net volleys combos well with her powerful and thunderous serve. In her singles match, she displayed a game-defining volley to win the second set, keeping a rally out of reach for her opponent freshman Mylee Michel.
“I'm just out there thinking to do my best and to try my hardest to win,” Daley said. “I think I try to play more aggressively and like going up to the net … I don't really think about it, I just do it.”
Juniors Valeria Bradley and Emma Stillings are proving to be a strong pairing in doubles, currently 3-0 in the season, winning against Jamestown’s Lefevre and Michel by way of golden sets.
In total, Dickinson are 2-1 in their conference and overall records and will be traveling to Williston on Tuesday, April 25, before battling a tough and challenging competition in Bismarck High School at home on Saturday, April 29th.
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