Beaver Fever Friday – Tennis – Shaelyn Johnson

Bemidji State Tennis Travels to Grand Forks For a Pair of NSIC Matches

The Bemidji State University tennis team is back on the road Saturday for a pair of neutral-site, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches. The Beavers will go head-to-head with Minnesota State University at 10:30 a.m. Saturday before wrapping up the day of competition versus Southwest Minnesota State University at 1 p.m.

Both matches will take place at Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks, N.D.

Bemidji State comes into the weekend after dropping both of its matches Feb. 12-13. BSU was defeated by Minnesota State University Moorhead, 5-2, before narrowly being edged by the University of Mary, 4-3, in Virginia, Minn. The Beavers are 1-2 overall and 1-2 in NSIC play.

Last season, the Beavers defeated the Mustangs, 6-1 in a match played in Mankato, Minn. Feb. 22. Led by Hannah Alme, BSU posted wins at all three doubles positions and won five-of-six singles contests. Alme teamed up with Ariadna Lopez to earn a 7-6 victory over SMUS’s No. 1 doubles pair in a tie-break and posted a straight-sets victory in the No. 2 singles position.

SMSU is 2-0 overall with both wins coming in NSIC play. Last weekend the Mustangs earned matching 4-3 victories over University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University.

A year ago, Bemidji State dominated Minnesota State, earning a 7-0 victory on the Mavericks’ home courts. It marked the second consecutive season BSU has defeated MSU 7-0 and the third straight win for BSU over the Mavericks. Of BSU returning players, Hannah Peterson earned a singles win at No. 4 singles (6-2, 6-2), Laney Rutkowski posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles, and Maggie Richardson won her No. 6 singles match 6-0, 6-1.

MSU is 0-2 overall with a 0-2 mark in league competition. The Mavericks dropped. A pair of matches last weekend falling to Minnesota Duluth, 6-1, and St. Cloud State, 7-0.