The tennis team officially wrapped up our season with our banquet last night! We had a lot to celebrate and many individuals to honor. The strength of this team, their desire to work hard, and their positive attitude contribute to the success of the season. They are inspirational both on and off the court. They are amazing young women!
The girls tennis season finished strong with an overall record of 16-3. We were undefeated in the Granite Ridge Conference and played strong into the section play-offs and state tournament. The team won over Eveleth-Gilbert (6-1) in the section finals to advance to the state tournament. The girls battled hard with a tough first round loss to Litchfield (3-4), but won the second round 6-1 over Crookston. The team fell short in the consolation finals to Rochester Lourdes, 2-5.
The growth of this team from the first week of practice to our final match was awesome! The team came to practice willing and ready to get better each day. Their goal each day was to step on the court and make their teammates better. The girls knew that if we were going to meet our season goals, we had to use each other to get better. They are an amazing group of young women and are a great example of what it means to be a team. The team will graduate three seniors: Maddie Berglund, Rhaya Merrick, and Samantha Grubbs. Highlights from the season include kicking off the season with a trip to St. James to start the season 3-0, hosting the Eb Invite with all sections teams, our annual trip to Hibbing for the Hibbing Invite, the section tournament in Virginia, state tournament meals/hotel stay/laughs/battle, fire truck escorts and rides, pep fest, elementary send off, and team celebrations from making team shirts, eating pizza, and team dinners with spaghetti and laughing! The girls not only got it done on the tennis court, but also received the state academic gold award and are the Granite Ridge Conference Academic Champions this year as well. 2021 Season Awards Team Awards: Granite Ridge Conference Champions Granite Ridge Academic Conference Champions Section 7A Tournament: 1st Place State Tournament Participant State Academic Gold Champions Individual Awards: Senior Academic All-State Gold Award Recipients: Rhaya Merrick
All-Conference Recipients: Maddie Berglund
Ella Sell
Addison Sell
Allison Unverzagt
Sophie Lahti
All Conference-Honorable Mention Claire Emmons
State Tournament Participant Ella Sell
I am so excited for the future of this team and I am already excited for next season! The girls love to play and hang out with each other. They completely understand what it means to compete and enjoy the game. I could not be more proud to coach such an amazing group of young women! I want to thank Coach Eb, Coach Kloeckl, and Coach Adams for their dedication to help the team get stronger each day at practice and in matches. Also congratulations to Coach Adams as he is the Section 7A Coach of the year! I also wanted to thank the community for their support! The encouraging notes, fire truck escorts/parade, and fans lining the streets meant so much to our team. We were honored to represent the Pine City community at the state tournament! It has been a great year and I cannot wait to get back on the courts next season! Bring on August 15th, 2022!
