In a dual that had a number of hard-fought matches, the Mitchell High School girls tennis team picked up a key road Eastern South Dakota Conference team victory Thursday at Harrisburg by a 6-3 margin.
After three straight MHS victories over opponents in 9-0 fashion, the Tigers provided a tougher challenge for Mitchell. Four matches went to a third set, with the Kernels and Tigers splitting the outcomes with two wins apiece.
Those Mitchell victories included No. 6 singles player Megan Mastel winning her singles match against Mckenzie Vickery with an 11-9 third set after a 6-4 first-set win and a 2-6 second-set loss to Vickery. At No. 2 doubles, Amber Moller and Sydney Reynolds won their match against Eloise Geraets and Madelyn Eisenbeiez with a 10-8 third set after dropping a second set tiebreaker that the Tigers' pair won to extend the match. Harrisburg won on the winning side of a lengthy third set, as well, with Madeline Grabow defeating Reynolds at No. 5 singles 7-6 (4), 2-6, and 14-12.
Mitchell got strong play at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions, with Delaney Degen and Olivia Huber each winning their matches in straight sets, with Degen winning 6-3, 6-2 and Huber winning 6-0, 6-3. Julia Platt was also a straight-set winner over Harrisburg's Eisenbeisz (6-3, 6-0) at No. 4 singles.
No. 1 Kernels doubles pairing Atlanta Stahle and Oliva Huber won convincingly over Harrisburg's Jersey Sonnenschein and Grace Starr by a score of 6-2 and 6-0, with Stahle and Huber improving to 4-0 as a doubles team this season.
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Mitchell (4-0 overall, 3-0 ESD) will host Vermillion in a girls tennis dual at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 24.
