The Hastings Raiders girls tennis team wrapped up its 2026 season at the Section 3AAA individual tournament Oct. 13-14 at the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center. Emery Hedeen led the Raiders with an opening-round victory in singles competition, advancing to the second round before being eliminated.
Hedeen opened the tournament against Eliza Braun of Apple Valley. The Hastings player won a competitive opening set 6-4 before taking control of the scoreboard in the second set with a 6-0 victory. The straight-set win moved Hedeen into the second round, where she faced Julia Simone of East Ridge.
Simone proved to be a difficult opponent, defeating Hedeen 6-0, 6-0 to end her tournament run. Hedeen was the only Hastings player to advance beyond the opening round of the individual tournament.
Maelyn Kirk was the Raiders' other singles representative. Kirk faced Clara Rebhan of Two Rivers in her opening match. Rebhan claimed the first set 6-2 and followed with a 6-1 victory in the second set to advance.
Hastings also had two doubles teams competing in the section tournament.
Sophia Johnson and Samantha Seaman represented the Raiders against Kennedy Labounty and Lillian Pohl of East Ridge. The East Ridge pairing won the opening set 6-2 and completed the match with a 6-1 victory in the second set.
The Raiders' other doubles team, Evy Hogan and Megan Sieben, faced Katherine Poppinga and Evelyn Wells of Eagan. The Eagan duo advanced with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
The section tournament brought an end to a season that included five varsity dual-match victories for Hastings.
The Raiders recorded a pair of 7-0 shutouts during the regular season, defeating Farmington on Sept. 9 and Tartan on Sept. 15. Hastings also earned a 6-1 victory over North St. Paul on Sept. 10 and defeated Apple Valley 5-2 on Sept. 23.
One of the team's closest victories came during the Hastings Quadrangular on Aug. 28, when the Raiders edged Park of Cottage Grove 4-3.
Those five victories provided highlights during a schedule that included Metro East Conference opponents and several nonconference programs.
With the individual section tournament complete, the Raiders have concluded their 2026 varsity girls tennis season.