DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica women's tennis team returned to indoor tennis action with a 1-1 showing in dual match play up north this weekend at the Quad City Indoor in Virginia, MN. The CSS women played two matches, the first coming on Friday afternoon where they dispatched former UMAC (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) opponent the Crown Polars, 9-0.

The Lady Saints then fell in a tough match Saturday with MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Tennis Athletic Conference) opponent the Bethel Royals, 3-6. Saint Scholastica now has 3 remaining MIAC opponents on tap to end the regular season. 

CSS vs. Crown
Doubles

The Saints claimed all 3 doubles matches at an efficient pace against the Polars, dropping just 2 games. At the No.1 doubles position, Katia Bartels (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds View HS) and Chloe Hasbargen (Bemidji, Minn.) won 8-0. On court No. 2 Annika Lundell (Hibbing, Minn.) and Taylor Vyskocil (Ashland, Wis.) won 8-0 and Elena Bartels (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds View HS) and Eva Kangas (Grand Rapids, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy – Grand Rapids HS) wrapped things up winning 8-2 on court No. 3. 

Singles
St. Scholastica would roll across all singles courts as Ritchie collected the 6-4, 6-2 victory at the No. 1 position. On court No. 2 K. Bartels rolled 6-0, 6-0 and on the third court, Vyskocil defeated her Polar opposition 6-1, 6-0.

Ava Fink (Virginia, Minn./Rock Ridge HS) glided at the No. 4 position to a 6-1, 6-0 victory and at No. 5 E. Bartels moved on with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.  Eva Kangas (Grand Rapids, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy – Grand Rapids HS) dispatched her opponent, 6-0, 6-0 to complete the singles leg at the No. 6 line.

CSS vs Bethel 
Doubles

CSS came away empty-handed at both the top two doubles courts but grabbed back a point headed into singles play when the duo of Bartels and Hasbargen claimed an 8-4 win at the No. 3 line. The Saints would need 4 of the singles matches to steal victory from the Royals.

Singles
At the No. 1 position Julia Maier (Hamburg, Germany/Heidberg Gymnasium) stayed rock solid, taking her team-high eighth singles victory and third consecutive singles match in a row, 6-4, 6-2. Bartels capped off a nice weekend by winning at the No. 5 line 6-4, 6-2 and Mishell Benitez (Ambato, Ecuador/Colegio Tecnico Particular a Distancia José Martí) narrowly fell in a superbreaker on court No. 3, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 9-11. Garcia also returned to the Saints lineup for the first time since February but fell in her contest, 2-6, 1-6. 

Up Next
The Saints will take Monday off and get back to the practice courts Tuesday with another MIAC contest in the cross sights next Sunday when the women travel the long road west to Fargo, North Dakota, where they will do battle with the Concordia Cobbers out of Moorhead. With this weekend split, the Saints now hold a 1-5 conference record and move to 4-11 overall in dual match play. First serves at Courts Plus in Fargo are slated for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.