McKinley Hanson returns a shot during Blue Earth Area’s match against River Valley during the opening round of the Section playoffs. The Bucs defeated the Wildcats 7-0 but were defeated by Fairmont 4-3 in the next round.

The BEA girls tennis team suffered a heartbreakingly-narrow loss to the Fairmont Cardinals at the Section Semi-Finals, which were held on Thursday, Oct. 6.

While the Bucs won their first few matches, the team ended the evening, and their season, with a 4-3 loss.

“We came up short, but we’re close,” head coach Spencer Monson summarized.

He also noted that individual Section results will be determined on Friday, Oct. 7. Check next week’s issue of the Faribault County Register to see how the Bucs fared.

On Oct. 6, it was Addison Armstrong who took the court against Cardinal Brynn Gustafson at No. 1 singles. Armstrong did a clean sweep of the match, defeating Gustafson, 6-0, 6-0.

BEA’s Olivia Dutton also booked a decisive victory at No. 2 singles over Fairmont’s Solveig Senf, 6-1, 6-0.

No. 3 singles brought the Bucs’ final win of the day. Buc Grace Hanson played Cardinal Elly Stegge to a 6-2, 6-3 BEA victory.

The tables turned at No. 4 singles, where it was Buc Lauren Survis up against Cardinal Emelia Klanderud. The match went to Fairmont in a 6-4, 6-1 win for Klanderud.

Fairmont’s doubles teams also proved tough opponents for BEA. At No. 1 doubles, Bucs Ashlyn Klinkner and Carol Schrader suffered a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Cardinals Anika Haugen and Hope Klanderud.

Meanwhile, a three-set battle at No. 2 doubles also resulted in a victory for the Cardinals.

Fairmont’s Abigail Peyman and Johanna Petschke won their first set against BEA’s Erika Gaydon and McKinley Hanson, 6-0, before the Bucs turned the tables and took the second set, 6-3.

The third set secured the match for Fairmont, however, when Peyman and Petschke won by a 6-0 score.

No. 3 doubles put Bucs Erin Prescher and Addison Prescher up against Cardinals Lilly Laven and Paige Linse. The Fairmont pair secured a win against the Preschers in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.

BEA 7, River Valley 0

The Bucs started off Section play strong with a 7-0 win against the River Valley Wildcats in the Quarter Final match held on Monday, Oct. 3.

“Everyone played pretty well across the board,” observed head coach Monson. “River Valley gave us trouble early, but we were able to pull it together towards the end.” 

The Bucs’ clean sweep of the Wildcats began with Armstrong’s win against River Valley’s Taylor Berkner at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-4.

BEA’s Dutton brought another straight-set victory for the Bucs at No. 2 singles when she defeated Brissa Hernandez, 6-2, 6-4.

A close match between Buc Grace Hanson and Wildcat Courtlyn Runck eventually resulted in a BEA win. Runck took the first set, 6-2, but the second and third sets went to Hanson, 6-4 and 6-3.

Survis was also victorious at No. 4 singles against River Valley’s Jilian Mays, 6-2, 6-2.

The Bucs excelled equally at doubles, starting with Klinkner and Schrader’s win at No. 1 doubles against Wildcats Kiera Lafferty and Gabby Anderson.

The Wildcats won a close first set, 6-4, but the Bucs fought back to win the second set, 6-1, and the third set, 6-0.

Meanwhile, BEA’s Gaydon and McKinley Hanson scored a straight-set win at No. 2 doubles when they played River Valley’s Chloe Okerman and Emma Contreras-Ramirez. The match went to the Bucs, 6-0, 6-2.

BEA solidified its River Valley shut-out at No. 3 doubles. Bucs Erin Prescher and Addison Prescher brought the heat against Wildcats Dani Junker and Bronwyn Sorenson, easily defeating the pair, 6-0, 6-0.

The Bucs’ victory sent them to the Semi-Finals on Thursday, Oct. 6.

BEA competed for the win against the Fairmont Cardinals, who were victorious in their Quarter Final match against the USC Rebels on Monday, Oct. 3.

BEA 6, Worthington 1

The Worthington Trojans must have forgotten their horse at home, because the BEA Bucs slayed their opponents, 6-1, in a match held on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Buc Armstrong battled out a close match with Trojan Ivy Jenson at No. 1 singles. Jenson won the first set 7-5, but Armstrong evened the score with a 6-2 win in the second set. A tie-breaking third set decided Armstrong the winner.

Dutton, meanwhile, secured a decided straight-set victory for BEA at No. 2 singles. She defeated Worthington’s Hannah McNab easily, 6-1, 6-0.

Buc Grace Hanson also scored a straight-set win against Trojan Brooke Nordseth at No. 3 singles, 7-5, 6-3.

The Trojans scraped a win at No. 4 singles, however. BEA’s Survis won her first set against Worthington’s Taya Oberloh, 6-2. However, Oberloh took the second set, 6-4, and the third set, 6-2.

A tight match transpired at No. 1 doubles when Bucs Schrader and Klinkner faced Trojans Taylor Nordseth and Riely Nickel. Nordseth and Nickel started off strong with a 6-4 win in the first set, but Schrader and Klinkner fought back to win the second and third sets 6-3, 6-3.

BEA’s Gaydon and McKinley Hanson were tough opponents for Worthington’s Bryn Dunkersloot and Sadie Nickel at No. 2 doubles, meanwhile. The Buc pair won the match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.

The Bucs booked a final victory at No. 3 doubles when BEA’s Erin Prescher and Addison Prescher defeated Trojans Chloe Martinez and Taylor Michelson, 6-4, 6-0.

“We ended the season on a high note,” Monson said, following the last regular match of the season.