2 weeks Ago By Jeremy Millsop
MINNEAPOLIS — It was a Section 8-1 doubles rematch for the Class 1A Consolation Championship Friday, Oct. 25. And just like the section title, the consolation title went to Anna Fiemeyer and Kaylee Endres of Wadena-Deer Creek as they topped Crookston’s Kaylie Clauson-Addie Fee 6-1, 6-3 to finish the season 25-2.
ADVERTISEMENT “It was an amazing experience,” Endres said. “I really enjoyed spending all of this time with my teammates, coaches and friends that came along. It was definitely stressful being my first experience.
Now that we’re used to it, I think if we make it next year, it will be easier to get used to the environment and everything.” Fiemeyer attended the state tournament as a spectator, She said playing in front of the crowd was a different experience. “It’s completely different, but it's more fun to go and play,” she said.
“It’s so fun to be out on the courts and have the people watching you rather than being the people watching.” The WDC team split with the Crookston team during the regular season before knocking the pair off for the section title. “We just wanted to go into the match-up strong knowing that we had both got to this point in the state tournament,” Fiemeyer said.
“We wanted to keep fighting strong through every point with them. “This matchup was heightened just because we had gone 1-1 during the regular season. We beat them in sections, but we knew anything could happen because they’re a very strong team.
We knew it was going to be a fun match, but a tough one.” Winning the first set 6-1 was a confidence boost for the WDC tandem, but it didn’t make anything more comfortable said Endres ADVERTISEMENT “It usually gives a lot of confidence, but you have to stay strong through that second set because anything can happen,” Endres said. “You can go into a tiebreaker and it can go the opposite way that it started.
” The WDC duo advanced to the championship by dispatching Lydia Sparby-Kayla Streich 6-4, 7-6(1) of Belle Plaine in the consolation semifinal round. “It was pretty amazing to get that win,” Endres said. “We both got pretty good sleep, I think.
It was super awesome because we were both stressed out and it helped us push through to get fifth place.” Staples-Motley’s Ronnie Noska also advanced to the consolation championship of the singles bracket. There she fell to Pine City’s Brooke Boland 6-1, 6-1.
“I had already played her before in the season so I just wanted to go in and play good tennis and make adjustments that needed to be made during the match,” Noska said. “I did have a good season. I played every match that I possibly could play.
I was one of the last players out there on the court. When you think about all of the girls that start the season and then those that make it to state, I played until the very last day of the season. I was one of the last six players out on the court today.
” Noska, eliminated Maple River’s Tabitha Barkosky 6-4, 6-0 in the consolation semifinal round. The sophomore finished the season with a 29-6 record. This is her second state tournament appearance as a singles player and her third state doubles appearance.
She played in the doubles tournament last year. She said her focus this offseason will be hitting with power and playing with a different mindset. ADVERTISEMENT “This state tournament was stacked,” she said.
“All of the players were so good. This was one of the most impressive lineups for state and what you notice down here is everyone hits the ball with such power. They hit it so much stronger than most of the matches we face during the regular season.
I want to play some USTA tournaments to get a better handle on the power. “I also want to play for the love and appreciation of the sport and not worry about results. As a young athlete, I know that’s going to be hard, especially after I cried a little bit after today’s results.
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