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DICKINSON — The Midgets took on the no. 1 seed Minot Magicians May 20 at the West River Community Center tennis courts in a series of six singles and three doubles matches. The girls put up a tough fight but ultimately fell short against the Minot Magicians, taking their region record to 4-4 and their overall record to 7-6.
Sophomore Valeria Bradley was the only victorious DHS athlete of the night, beating senior Eden Olson of Minot 6-1 in the first set and 6-3 in the second, improving her personal record to 10-3.
“I had to be very consistent because Eden Olson doesn't miss very much,” Bradley said. “ I had a bit of a challenge and I felt a bit shocked (to win).”
Minot won eight of the nine matches at the tournament, leaving the Midgets spirits low, but not broken.
“Minot is a considerably better team than most teams,” DHS tennis coach Lia Bradley said. “We saved the hardest team for last. We are an incredible team, so there is nothing to feel bad about. They put up a fight.”
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DHS senior Lola Homiston faced Minot’s Sophia Egge in two sets that both ended in a 6-0 Minot win, but Homiston’s positive attitude remained unshattered. She says her opponent’s serves were phenomenal and that it was difficult to return some of her shots.
“I played the best I could and that’s what matters,” Homiston said. “Our strategy was to have fun, play our hearts out, and give them all we’ve got. We showed that we aren’t a team that’s going to lay it down and give up… we weren’t intimidated by them.”
Coach Bradley says the girls will regroup and feed off of their victory against Bismarck last week. She speculates that Minot may have had a slight advantage in experience because many of their players are seniors and the Midgets have only one senior. The girls finished regular conference play tied for fourth place with Bismarck and Century.
Coming up, the Midgets will travel to Minot Thursday, May 26 to face Bismarck High at the West Region Dual Tournament.
