Two teams and 15 individual athletes from Northern Minnesota will compete in the girls tennis state tournament next week, Oct. 21-24, in the Twin Cities.
The top team from each of the eight sections advances to state, as do the top two singles and doubles competitors.
Wadena Deer-Creek senior duo Anna Fiemeyer and Kaylee Endres will look to build upon last year’s success after finishing as the Class A consolation champions.
They’re unranked in this year’s bracket and will play also unranked Pequot Lakes’ senior Nikki Crocker and sophomore Emme Sullivan in the first round.
Crocker qualified for the state tournament last year with a different partner but lost in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Staples-Motley junior Ronnie Noska is also chasing higher success; she was the 2024 Class A singles consolation runner-up.
Crosby-Ironton basketball star Tori Oehrlein will aim to end her senior tennis season on a high note after losing in the second round last year. Oehrlein enters with the No. 4 seed in the Class A singles bracket.
Rock Ridge junior Mayme Scott also enters as the No. 4 seed but in Class 2A. She and her doubles partner lost in the first round of the consolation bracket last season.
Scott will have two chances at a title, as the Wolverines won their first 7AA title. They are also a No. 4 seed.
Her teammates, seniors Mattelyn Seppi and Ayla Troutwine, are the No. 5 seed in the doubles tournament. Juniors Emmi Peterson and Nina Paulsen will also compete in doubles, and eighth grader Ellie Dimberio will compete in singles.
Thief River Falls is the only other Northland team to advance to state this year. They’re unranked in Class A.
Seniors Braylee Wienen and Piper Greene will also compete for the Prowlers in the doubles tournament. Wienen lost in the second round of the singles competition last year.
East Grand Forks Senior Ruby Leach rounds out the Northland competitors. She’ll compete in the Class A tournament and is the first Green Wave singles qualifier in a decade, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
Girls tennis state tournament schedule
The Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis will host the Class A matches, and Life Time Bloomington South will host 2A.
Team quarterfinals and consolation semifinals are Tuesday, Oct. 21, with the remainder of the matches to follow Wednesday.
The individual competitions begin Thursday with semifinals, third place and championship matches on Friday.
The full schedule, tickets and streaming information are available on the MSHSL’s website.
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