WHS TENNIS: Worthington moves to section semis with 5-2 win

WORTHINGTON — The Worthintgon boys’ tennis team defeated Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd 5-2 in the first round of the Section 3A tournament Monday.

The last time the Trojans met LQPV/D-B, it was the same winners in the same spots, with Worthington only dropping No. 1 and No. 2 singles.

The Trojan’s success came from their dominant doubles play and then cleaning up some singles.

With the combination of new home courts, his team playing well, the Trojans are now 12-2, and momentum going into team sectional semifinals, WHS head coach Mike Marquardt is staying positive and hoping for the best.

“I was really pleased with the win today,” Marquardt said. “We came off a little slow, but we got back into it. I am really hoping we can keep the momentum going.”

The biggest match of the day was the duel at No.1 singles, when WHS’s Dan Wetering faced LQPV/D-B’s Jack Hansen.

Right from the start Han-sen worked Wetering back and forth across the court.

“He’s a solid all-around mental player,” Wetering said. “He can do everything well, and he makes you work for every point.”

Hansen ended up beating Wetering 6-0, 6-0, but the score does not show how hard both players fought. There were a number of long rallies and each player had their share of victory.

“My forehands won me most of my points today,” Hansen said. “I had him running around the whole time.”

At No. 2 singles there was WHS’s Lance Homan going against Jess Hansen. Hansen defeated Homan 6-1, 6-0.

“He is playing really well for an eighth grader,” Jack Hansen said.

WHS’s Carter Linder played Conrad Matthies in No. 3 singles action. Linder swept Matthies in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.

Rounding out the singles at No. 4 was WHS’s Andrew Johnson against Cody McKesson in a quickly-fought battle. Johnson swept McKesson 6-0, 6-0.

Johnson is only a freshman, but he is playing upper-level tennis.

“We have been working a lot on groundstrokes,” Johnson said. “We have also been working a lot on volleys, and he (Marquardt) wants us to finish at the net.”

Doubles play from the Trojans was solid all around the board against LQPV/D-B.

At No.1 doubles, it was the Trojan’s combination of Jonah Oberloh and Matt Sorensen taking down the duo of Ryan Schulz and Keith Abraham, with a decisive victory of 6-0, 6-0.

“Communication has been key in our doubles matches,” Sorensen said. “And after points, whether good or bad, we give each high fives and stuff to keep positive.”

The Trojan’s Travis Vuong and Ben Doeden battled against LQPV/D-B’s Kelvin Chen and Ryan Schueller at No .2 doubles. Vuong and Doeden came away with the victory with scores of 6-2, 6-0.

To round out the doubles action, there was the Trojan duo of A.J. Hayenga and Dillon Pedersen taking on Trevor Sigdahl and Kain Matthies in No. 3 doubles. Hayenga and Pedersen came away with the win with scores of 6-3, 6-2.

There were also some exhibition matches played out Monday. The only singles exhibiton was Caleb Rijrksen, of the Trojans, against Brenden Schiltching. Rijrksen won handily at 6-1, 6-0.

The only doubles exhibi-tion was WHS’s Nick Newman and Kody Honius versus Harrison Risch and Ross Syltie of LQPV/D-B. Newman and Honius won handily with scores of 6-0, 6-1.

Looking forward to more team play, the Trojans have an idea of what they can improve on to come out on top and have a chance to advance towards state.

“What worked for us today was the pace of the ball,” Marquardt said. “We either overthought it or didn’t do enough.

“We had a lot of unforced errors, so we want to get those out of the way.”

Looking toward today’s team play, the Trojans are anticipating a solid showing.

“We hope to put ourselves in a position to play Luverne,” Marquardt said. “We cannot look over Montevideo though, because the last time the score was 5-2 but scores are deceiving.”

The Trojans can be seen in action today in Redwood Falls at the Section 3A Tournament.

Tags: sports, prep, tennis, trojans