By Bruce Karnick

High School Sports are played with the final goal being to win state. We know this year there will be no “ultimate champion” for each class of athletics, so the Girls Tennis team is looking to win the Conference Championship for the Metro East Conference. Unfortunately for the Raider Girls, they were paired up against their toughest opponent of the regular season, Mahtomedi, to start the “post season”.

Mahtomedi defeated the Raiders earlier in the regular season winning all seven matches. The strength of the Raiders Doubles tested the Zephyrs in that first meeting. How would the Raiders fair the second time around?

On the doubles side of things, the girls would get a few extra game wins, but not enough to win outright. The Raiders No. 2 Team grabbed the only match win on the doubles side, a match that was down to the wire and even required some extra sets.

Doubles: No. 1 – Liv Kent, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH – Nina Vander Louw, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Skylar Tjomsland, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL – Mya Green, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 6-3 , 1-6 , 6-1 ; No. 2 – Erika Henrichs, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL – Audrey Langworthy, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL def. Alayna Schwieters, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH – Hanna Bradt, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH, 6-7 (7), 6-4 , 5-7 ; No. 3 – Campbell Albers, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH – Kayla Meslow, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Claire Keller, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL – Molly Moran, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 6-2 , 6-4 , -; The singles were defeated in similar fashion as the regular season.

Singles: No. 1 – Lauren Splett, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Anri Sakakibara, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 6-0 , 6-0 , -; No. 2 – Annika Munson, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Charlotte Kranz, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 6-0 , 6-1 , -; No. 3 – Mari Meger, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Gracyn Rose, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 6-1 , 6-0 , -; No. 4 – Sonya Potthoff, MAHTOMEDI SENIOR HIGH def. Autumn Winkler, HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, 3-6 , 6-4 , 6-1 ; Coach Marissa Welch said it well the first time they took on the Zephyrs at home. “Mahtomedi is a really tough opponent. They are well coached at have some great athletes.” When recapping the first round she said “It was a beautiful day and we are still blessed to be able to play tennis. Our girls competed incredibly well!”

The next round for Hastings has them visiting Simley on Tuesday and then Thursday at Hill-Murray.