Vikings get started with 9-0 win

By Becky Walz,

Seniors Annalise Skrade (left) and Haley Gossman teamed up in the No. 1 doubles spot Monday to defeat Kaitlyn Olson and Kendall Olson of Osage in Decorah’s first tennis match of the 2023 season. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

In their first meet of the year, the Decorah girls’ tennis team defeated Osage 9-0 on Monday night at home.
Experienced doubles duo Annalise Skarade and Haley Gossman took full control of their No. 1 doubles match with excellent groundstroke control and active net play to defeat Kaitlyn Olson and Kendall Olson in a pair of 6-2 sets.
Returner Evon Leitz partnered for the first time with sophomore newcomer Klaara Short to secure a solid win at No. 2 doubles. The pair defeated Brooklyn Brock and Sue Meier 6-2 and 6-0.
Varsity newcomers Mara Branum and Jaidyn Duvel made an impressive comeback in the first set, winning 7-5 after being down 1-4 to Osage’s Riley Tabbert and Bailey Nasstrom. The Viking duo then dominated the second set, winning 6-1 in the No. 3 doubles slot.
All singles players also performed solidly. In No. 1 singles, Decorah’s Annalise Skrade was in full control of her match winning over Kaitlyn Olson, 6-2 and 6-2.
Additional highlights in singles included Decorah’s No. 2 Evon Leitz battling through a tight and lengthy match, ultimately winning 7-5 and 7-6 (with the tiebreak being 7-4), over Kendall Olson. Viking senior Haley Gossman, playing at No. 3, defeated Brooklyn Brock in a pair of 6-0 sets. Decorah freshman Olivia Huinker secured her first varsity win over Sue Meier, 6-0 and 6-2, at the No. 4 spot. Playing at No. 5 Viking Camryn Holland defeated Riley Tabbert 6-2 and 6-3. Senior Viking Janna Hartz also dominated the net with a pair of 6-0 sets over Osage’s Bailey Nasstrom in the No. 6 spot.
Decorah JV was also highly successful, winning every match played against Osage (14-0, 10-0 in singles and 4-0 in doubles). Also exciting was four Decorah middle schoolers getting their first ever match play — in doubles, the middle schoolers won one match and tied another due to time constraints; in singles, they were 4-2.

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