By Becky Walz,
The Decorah boys tennis varsity team traveled to Winona Cotter Monday evening and picked up a tough 4-3 dual meet win playing Minnesota rules where teams play four singles matches and three doubles matches. The team also played a JV match against Osage, which is starting a boys program this year coming away with a 6-3 team victory at home Monday.
“In both meets there was some tough competition, early season nerves and plenty of hard fought matches,” said Coach Matt Anderson. “In junior varsity action many of the players got their first experience playing full matches that counted towards a team score. At Cotter, the experience of Caden Branum and Daniel Skrade, both returning state qualifiers, really showed as they secured two quality wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles.”
Varsity at Winona Cotter
Branum won by set scores of 6-1 and 6-2 at the top spot, while Skrade came away with 6-0 and 6-2 set victories. Landon Baker had a tough match, that went to a third set (5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7)), while Michael Njus fell 6-3 and 7-5.
The team also picked up victories from the doubles teams of No. 2 Lucas Arendt and Gabriel Hiner, in two 6-0 sets and No. 3 Adam Walter and Andy Kruger who won 6-4 and 6-1. The No. 1 doubles duo of Liam Chamberlain and Aidan Nalean-Carlson played tough sets, falling in identical 4-6 sets.
The coaches commented at both meets, “That after some early jitters, the players calmed down and experience took over, as well as finding some opportunities to improve upon.”
Junior varsity
Back in Decorah, the Vikes host a JV match against Osage with singles wins by No. 1 Seth Bolson over Jarin Camlin, 8-3. No. 3 Aitor Cuevas defeated Osages’ Ian Schwarting 8-4, while Decorah’s Alex McGohan topped Brady Nicholson 8-5 at the No. 4 spot. Competing at No. 5 Leander Buettner was victorious over Green Devil Carter Muller 8-5 and Ansel Kowitz rounded out Decorah’s victories at No. 6 over Payton Scott 8-4. In doubles’ action, the No. 3 team of Buettner and A. Kowitz came out on top 8-2 over Muller and Scott of Osage.
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