During this spring break, the women’s tennis team flew to Orlando, Fla. to participate in their last four matches of the spring season; both singles and doubles competitions. The team kicked off their first match against Hamline University on March 19 and ended the trip with an intense win against Elmhurst College on March 22.
The team started the spring break trip by facing Hamline University. Knowing a win on the first match could be a strong confidence boost for the team, the Lady Vikings were well-prepared to do their best to seize the victory for the Vikings against this strong competitor. However, the excellence of many individuals had helped the Hamline University women’s tennis team defeat Lawrence 6-3 overall (4-2 singles, 2-1 doubles). On the singles side of the competition, junior Lindsay Holsen displayed her dominance and won the No. 2 singles match 6-2, 6-3 against Natalie Pieterick. The Vikings also picked up one more victory in No.6 matches by sophomore El Goblirsch with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Emily Butts. Both senior Elana Lambert and sophomore Annie Harincar managed to bring one set to game twelve, but they were unable to take the lead and fell short against Emily Wollmuth and Lilli Denison from Hamline. On the doubles side, senior Katie Frankel and Holsen teamed up to beat Jordan Danielson and Denison 9-7 on a close match to add one more win for the Vikings.
After two days, the women’s tennis team continued their trip with two matches on the same day, both against strong teams from Calvin College and SUNY-New Paltz. In the first match, SUNY- New Paltz created a hard time for the Lady Vikes when they swept our team 9-0 in both singles and doubles competitions. Our No. 1 doubles team, Katie Frankel and Lindsey Holsen still led the squad with a really close loss 6-8 against Brittany Grandville and Carol Tyson, but that was the closest we got in both singles and doubles competitions. On the bright side, this was a valuable loss for the Vikes because SUNY- New Paltz was one of the top teams with an 8-5 record in their competitive region. The synergy between Katie Frankel and Lindsey Holsen became stronger and more consistent throughout every match, which could bring hope for the Lady Vikes before the match against Calvin College the same day. In the second match, even though the doubles team Katie Frankel and Lindsey Holsen continued their outstanding performance to seize one victory for the Vikings, the team still lost 8-1 overall. Lindsey Holsen won the Lady Vikes only set and was still winning before having to retire due to injury in the No. 2 singles match. Annie Harincar had the closest set against Emily Wollmuth but still lost 6-1, 7-5 in the No. 4 match. Losing Holsen before the final match put the team in an even harder situation. However, the Lady Vikes showed a fighting spirit to seize the victory against Elmhurst the following day.
On the last day, March 22, the women’s tennis team played an incredibly intense match to take a 5-4 victory against Elmhurst College. In the doubles competition, even though the No. 1 double team Frankel and Holsen was defeated 6-8, the Lady Vikings still managed to pick up two close wins in No. 2 and No. 3 matches. Lambert and Harincar teamed up to tie Chiara Gaudio and Dacey Maglaque 8-8 before winning the tiebreaker at 7-3. The Vikings also added one more victory in the doubles competition as Alexis Shannon and sophomore Katie Nottberg gave a splendid performance, winning 9-8 (7-3). These two wins helped Lawrence take the lead 2-1 against Elmhurst. The singles competition became even more intense when Elmhurst College balanced the score at 4-4 after the No.5 singles match. Fortunately Nottberg, with a fighting spirit, defeated Bridget Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the last game to lift the Lady Vikings to a final 5-4 victory against Elmhurst College, ending the spring break trip with a wonderful victory for the women’s tennis team.
Overall, the women’s tennis team did well in their spring break trip with many valuable experiences and the improvement of many athletes, especially Nottberg with an outstanding performance on the last day. In the upcoming season, the team will lose Frankel as well as two others, so it is important for the returning members to keep practicing in order to reach the team’s goal next year. As a side note, winning three out of four tiebreakers is an encouraging achievement for the team as they must prepare both physically and mentally before competing with the top team in the conference next year. Best wishes for the women’s tennis team with their upcoming competition!
