Tennis prepares for trio of home matches this weekend
The Bemidji State University tennis team is set to host a three-match weekend versus Winona State University, Upper Iowa University and University of Minnesota Crookston. The Beavers and Warriors will compete on Friday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Gillett Wellness Center. BSU will then play UIU and UMC at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.
Last weekend, the Beavers fell to Southwest Minnesota State University and Minnesota State University Mankato. BSU and SMSU split singles competition, so the match came down to doubles competition where Sophie Groen and Shaelyn Johnson took one match but SMSU found the No. 2 and 3 matches to take the point. Following the Mustangs, the Beavers fell 5-2 to the Mavericks. BSU earned matches from Shaelyn Johnson and Lily Jones, who was said to have played one of the best matches of her season by Coach Kyle Fodness.
Winona State
In 2021, the Warriors defeated the Beavers with a score of 6-1 on Feb. 28, 2021. This match was the fifth consecutive year that the Warriors have defended their record versus the Beavers. The lone match win came from Laney Rutkowski’s No. 5 singles win, posting a straight-sets victory, 6-2, 6-4.
Upper Iowa
Last season, Bemidji State earned a 5-2 win over Upper Iowa. Singles competition was dominated by the green and white earning four of the Beavers five wins. In doubles play, Groen and Johnson earned the No. 1 doubles win as well as Isabela Nelson and Hannah Peterson taking the No. 3 win and the doubles decision.
Minnesota Crookston
Bemidji State has had a strong record versus Minnesota Crookston in the past, marking a 14-1 record and ten swept matches in the last ten years. BSU is currently on a 13-match win streak, sweeping nine of those matches. Last season, BSU did not drop a single game to UMC, every BSU match taken 6-0 to open the 2021 season.
Following this weekend, BSU will take a month-long break which will end on Mar. 26 versus Bethany Lutheran College in Grand Forks, N.D.