YANKTON -- The Mitchell High School girls tennis team added another victory in a triangular on Tuesday.
The Kernels cruised past Yankton, 8-1, before a hard-fought 5-4 loss versus Sioux Falls Lincoln. Olivia Huber tweaked her knee against Yankton, so Mitchell forfeited her Flight 2 match against Lincoln.
Atlanta Stahle (Flight 1) only dropped one game in two straight-set wins. She defeated Yankton’s Lauren Gillis, 6-1, 6-0, and then completed her perfect day with a 6-0, 6-0 win against Lincoln’s Ratnashree Baireddy.
“It’s never easy to be a (No. 1 singles player),” MHS coach Pat Moller said. “You get the best from every other team everyday. Atlanta has an impressive record for being a Flight 1 player, and especially with the schedule that we play. She continues to impress and gain respect that she deserves around the state.”
Julia Platt (Flight 4) also earned a pair of wins. She took down Yankton’s Sabrina Krajewski, 6-4, 6-4, and Lincoln’s Avery Blackman, 6-3, 6-3.
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“Every challenge that she has in front of her, she seems to step up to that,” Moller said. “It’s nice to put her out there and have confidence that she’s going to be taking care of business.”
Amber Moller (Flight 3), Kiersten Bathke (Flight 5) and Megan Mastel (Flight 6) all picked up a singles win against Yankton.
In doubles play, Bathke was part of a pair of victories. She teamed with Olivia Huber in Flight 2 for a 6-1, 6-1 win. Then, against Lincoln, Bathke and Megan Mastel picked up a 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 win. Platt and Delaney Degen teamed up to earn two doubles wins, as well, including a three-set win against Yankton.
Stahle and Moller (Flight 1) only dropped one game in a win over Yankton, but fell in three sets against Lincoln, 6-7(4), 6-0, 11-9.
“Yankton has improved quite a bit from the first time we played them,” Moller said. “Our girls have risen to the occasion there, and our records kind of show that. … We played a lot of three-set matches throughout the year, and I think the rigor of the schedule we’ve had is paying dividends now.”
Mitchell hosts Spearfish at 9 a.m. Saturday at Hitchcock Park.
