Bethel women’s tennis on a winning streak
The team won its fifth match in a row this weekend in Rogers.
By Kathryn Kovalenko | Reporter
Freshman Lauryn Douglas stepped onto the court and raised her racket. The Royals had swept the doubles, going into the singles 3–0. As the first singles player, her win would mark the fifth point for the Royals, guaranteeing their victory.
Douglas’ strategy for the match was to outlast her opponent and play as consistently as possible. She won it 6–1, 6–2.
“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in as a freshman playing singles, but it’s gone really well,” Douglas said.
Bethel University’s women’s tennis team won its match 6–3 against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at the Rogers Tennis Center Sunday. The Royals continued the team’s winning streak and redeeming a 5–4 loss against La Crosse last spring.
Although the team lost its first match of the season to Minnesota-Duluth, it has now won its past five matches, including a 5–4 match against St. Olaf Feb. 25, which was a key win for playoffs.
“His main goal for us is to get better throughout the season because we’re going to continue to face harder teams in the future.” — Bryna Eigenfeld, freshman
Women’s Head Coach Drew Fernelius has high expectations for the team. He views each consecutive victory as motivation for the team to keep improving.
“His main goal for us is to get better throughout the season because we’re going to continue to face harder teams in the future,” freshman Bryna Eigenfeld said.
This season marks a fresh start for many players on the team. More than half of them are freshmen.
“Knowing that we have a really young team is super exciting because we’ll get to play together for the next couple of years and just continue to build those relationships,” freshman Julia Baber said.
Baber played alongside Douglas as first doubles. They won their match 8–3 and went on to win their singles matches by a large margin.
“Julia and I play really well together as doubles,” Douglas said. “She’s super outgoing and energetic and stuff so it kind of helps me out when I’m in a slump. And then I’m kind of able to calm her down sometimes if she’s in her head.”
The team currently sits at №4 in the MIAC conference. There are 13 matches left before playoffs, and in that time, Douglas and Baber hope to work on their strategy, teamwork and technique.
“It’s been cool to see us playing together throughout the season. We’ve gotten a lot better already, learning kind of how each of us plays,” Baber said. “We’ll get to play together throughout our college years and just continue growing together and improving.”
