The St. Olaf women’s tennis team took on Bethel University on April 25 at Bethel’s home courts in Arden Hills, Minn. It was the last regular season match of the 2015 season. The Oles, who were looking to secure the fourth seed for the MIAC playoffs, did not disappoint, recording a resounding 9-0 victory.
After losing all three doubles matches to University of St. Thomas three days earlier, St. Olaf needed to get off to a better start this time around. Lisa Hall ’16 and Maya MacGibbon ’16 provided the early boost for the Oles, winning 8-4 at number one doubles. Margaret Zimmerman ’18 and Kristi Kroker ’15 were dominant at two doubles, recording an 8-3 victory. Erin McDonald ’18 and Andrea Jumes ’15 completed the doubles sweep for the Oles with a tight 8-6 win at third doubles, giving St. Olaf a 3-0 over the Royals.
Singles play also proved to be straightforward for the Oles, with all six players winning in straight sets. Hall was ruthless at one singles, defeating her opponent 6-0, 6-0. Kroker was also strong at two singles, powering to a 6-1, 6-1 win. Zimmerman was pushed in her first set at three singles, managing to stay calm under pressure at 5-4 and served out the set to take it 6-4. The second set was more comfortable, as she rolled to a 6-0 victory, taking the set and the match. Erin Hynes ’15, who only played singles for the Oles, recorded a 6-2, 6-0 win at fourth singles. Bailey Kent ’16, like Zimmerman, fought to win the first set 6-4 at fifth singles, but did not drop another game en route to a 6-4, 6-0 scoreline. Finally, McDonald sealed the 9-0 sweep for St. Olaf with a 6-2, 6-3 win at sixth singles.
St. Olaf finishes its regular season with a 7-3 MIAC record, enough for fourth place in the conference. The Oles defeated College of St. Catherine 7-2 on April 29 in the MIAC quarterfinal, earning them the right to face Gustavus Adolphus College in the semifinal on May 1.
Photos courtesy fo St. Olaf College Athletics.
