Saturday, April 9 was a successful morning for both the St. Olaf men’s and women’s tennis teams.
The women beat Saint Mary’s University 8-1, continuing their seven match win streak. The Oles won five out of the six singles matches, with each athlete jumping to significant leads by the end of the matches. Captain Lisa Hall ’16 won her singles matches 6-1 and 6-2. Almost all other singles sets ended with similar scores, showcasing the team’s dominating form. Maya MacGibbon ’16 came out victorious in an intense match, winning in straight sets 7-5 and 6-2.
“Maya had an incredible singles match,” Hall said. “She was the last one on the court so we were all able to watch her. The fight and determination that girl has is so inspiring.”
The women’s success continued into the doubles competition, with all matches ending in an Ole victory, with scores of 8-5, 9-7 and 8-3.
“The girls are my second family, and are constantly supporting each other,” Hall said. “When teammates aren’t playing they are constantly cheering each other on, which contributes to great success on the court.”
The men’s team had an equally successful day of competition, ending their match against Saint Mary’s with an 8-1 victory. All six singles matches went to the Oles, with set scores varying from narrow to landslide wins.
Mike Schroeder ’16 defeated the Saint Mary’s No. 3 singles player in straight sets, 6-0 and 6-2. Ben Carlson ’16 secured the victory in the No. 1 slot, defeating his opponent in a tight matchup with scores of 6-4 and 6-3.
In the doubles competition, Christian Beck ’18 and Danny Hogan ’18 secured the No. 1 match with a final score of 8-4. St. Mary’s took the No. 2 doubles spot, but the Oles quickly fought back during the No. 3 match and secured an easy victory.
After a successful beginning to their season, the Oles hope to carry this momentum through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. Both teams will take on cross-town rival Carleton College on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in what should be a close matchup between two of the MIAC’s strongest teams.
The Carleton men enter the meet atop the MIAC with a 12-6 record while the women sit in second place behind St. Olaf with a 9-3 record. This late season matchup will be an important opportunity for both teams to secure their a high seed in the conference standings as the MIAC playoffs approach.
