PREP TENNIS: Cardinals soar in wind

WORTHINGTON -- While others were struggling to play in gusting winds, Tressa Ykema felt comfortable.

And it showed.

Playing No. 4 singles on Luverne's girls' tennis team, Ykema earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory, leading the Cardinals to a 7-0 sweep against Worthington on Monday afternoon.

"Personally, I like the wind," Ykema said. "I don't know why, I just do better in the wind. You have to make sure you're hitting the ball softer when you're going with the wind or harder when you're going against the wind. You just have to adjust. I don't mind it."

Before the match started, Ykema wasn't sure how things would go.

"At first, I was like, 'Eh, it's windy. I don't know how I'm going to play,"' she said. "But then, I remembered I played in the wind earlier this year and it wasn't too bad. I kind of liked it. I thought I'd do my best."

With a strong southern wind gusting through the courts, Ykema was able to use a strong serve to keep Worthington's Ashley Jansma off balance.

"When I serve, I like to slice it because it goes over better when you're in the wind," Ykema said. "It just carries better because it has a different spin."

As the players changed, so did their perspective on the wind.

"With the wind (is more difficult) because it carries the ball more and then you have to hit it a little softer," Ykema said. "But when you're going against the wind, you can rip it as hard as you want."

Meanwhile, at No. 1 singles, Luverne's Hannah Baartman defeated Emily Williamson 6-0, 6-0.

"It was really tough dealing with all the wind," Williamson said. "I tried my best to deal with that. I was still trying to figure it out more toward the second set. I had a lot of unforced errors.

"I think I was thinking about the wind more than my game."

Emily Robinson, who used a spectacular shot over her head while running away from her opponent, gave Luverne a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles against Sabrina Klein.

"(The wind) was awful," Robinson said. "I kind of like it because then you can run up to the net.

"I was able to run up to the net and angled it off."

Kaitlin Wohnoutka defeated Kate Lesnar 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles as the Cardinals swept all four singles matches.

"We're starting to play better tennis," Luverne head coach Greg Antoine said. "We're not just hitting better, but understanding that the girl is to the left, so we're going to hit it to the right. The girl is short, so we're going to lob it over. We're just playing better put-away shots."

Hilary Deragisch and Cathryn Hartz teamed up at No. 1 doubles to give Luverne a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Elizabeth Luke and Brianna Kempema.

The Cardinal duo of Erin Doherty and Erica Marshall defeated Rachel Drietz and Heather Loy 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.

At No. 3, Erin Fick and Emilee Johnson earned a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Kirsten Aljets and Makensie Carstensen as the Cardinals earned a 7-0 sweep.

"They are a very tough team and a strong team," Worthington head coach Mike Marquardt said. "They served well and played well. For us, I think we struggled a little bit more with the wind. I thought the wind was going to throw Luverne off a little bit more, but they were dominant throughout. They didn't really give us second chances."

But in the end, the Cardinals, who have seen tough wind on two occasions before, made the better adjustments.

"They all played pretty well in the wind," Antoine said. "The girls seem to thrive in the wind for some reason. They seem to understand that when you're on this side, you have to run in on shots. They all played well today.

"Adjusting to the wind is an art. I think here in southwest Minnesota, you get used to playing in the wind."

Next time, when the wind is howling, the Trojans will be better prepared.

"I'll pay more attention to how I need to adjust to it," Williamson said. "I'll make better adjustments and deal more with it."

Worthington will be back at home again today against Martin County West. Luverne, meanwhile, will be at River Valley.

"We'll take the best, leave the rest and move on," Marquardt said.

In exhibition matches, Karina Cuate and Fernanda Torres Alvarez lost 6-0, while Brenda Oroaco and Alexis Melendez lost 6-0.

Annie Lesnar nad Erika Schutte lost 6-2, while Kari LI and Sarah Janssen lost 6-0. Katherine Luke and Justyce Voss lost 6-0. In a singles match, Paige Stewart lost 6-1.

1/2: Aaron Hagen/Daily Globe Luverne's Tressa Ykema hits a backhand during Monday's girls' tennis meet in Worthington.

2/2: Aaron Hagen/Daily Globe Trojan Kirsten Aljets hits a shot in Monday's tennis meet