Women's Tennis Alia Anderson - Contributing Student Writer
ST. PETER, Minn. - Bethelwomen's tennis competed in the annual ITA Tournament this past weekend hosted by Gustavus Adolphus. Eight of the players competed in the Midwest Regional ITA Tournament, while the other four players participated in the Midwest Invite, an alternative tournament hosted by the ITAs in and around St. Peter.
Junior Bryna Eigenfeld and Sophomore Malia McKinnon saw quite a bit of success. Eigenfeld competed in the Midwest Invite and went a combined 8-0 in singles and doubles to win both her draws. McKinnon, on the other hand, found her stride later on. She participated in the main ITA singles draw, initially falling to Whitewater in the Round of 128, but went 4-0 to win her draw in the Consolation bracket.
Not only did Eigenfeld go undefeated, she only dropped one set the entire weekend. In the singles draw, she advanced quickly through, winning three back-to-back matches in straight sets. In the finals, her streak was briefly interrupted as she lost the first set to a tough opponent from Carthage. She then fought back in the second, winning by a narrow margin of 6-4 to tie the score at one all. The third set tiebreak went back and forth, but Eigenfeld managed to get the upper hand and ended the match 2-6, 6-4, 10-8, leaving Gustavus as a Midwest Invite champion. On the doubles side, Eigenfeld partnered with Freshman Payton Douglas. The two proved to be a force to be reckoned with as they fended off two fellow MIAC teams, St. Olaf and Gustavus in the finals, as well as Loras College and the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire in the Quarters and Round of 16.
Reflecting on her wins, Eigenfeld notes, "It was a great weekend! I went into it with no real expectations and was just excited to play and see how things went. As I kept playing, I just kept going and decided I was just going to give it my all and see what happened. Overall, I'm proud of myself for how I played and kept pushing [myself] this weekend and it turned out to be such a fun weekend of matches and hanging out with the team."
McKinnon, playing in her first-ever ITA tournament, also had a very successful weekend. After falling in close sets in her opening match, she was determined not to leave empty-handed. Her first two rounds were close, winning 8-6 in both the Round of 16 and Quarter Finals. She then followed it up with a decisive 8-2 win to get to the finals, where she defeated a strong player from Grinnell 8-5 to win the draw.
Head coach Drew Fernelius expressed his elation starting, "Incredible weekend for the ladies at Gustavus! So much great tennis filled with incredible wins and accomplishments, but I am most proud of the way our ladies played their hearts out and supported and encouraged each other. They showed that they have the talent, determination and passion to compete with any team in the country but most of all that they love each other and are gonna compete all year with a heart of gratitude and joy!"
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND
• Three Bethel players were ranked in the top 25: Junior Lauryn Douglas, Sophomore Michaella Sullivan, and Freshman Claire Keller
• Senior Courtney Nuest made the Consolation Finals in her singles draw, but was unable to secure the win
• L.Douglas and Keller both advanced to the Quarter Finals, but neither was able to continue further
• Doubles team L. Douglas and Sullivan made it to the semi finals, but fell to a tough Gustavus team
• Freshman Emily Eisma made it to her draw's Quarter Finals, but was unable to match her Grinnell opponent
ITAMidwest Regional | ||
Singles Draw | Doubles Draw | |
Round of 128 | Michaella Sullivan (17) BYE Courtney Nuest LOST 3-6, 4-6 Claire Keller (25) WON 6-1, 6-4 Malia McKinnon LOST 4-6, 4-6 Lisey Langhus LOST 2-6, 0-6 Julia Baber WON 6-1, 5-7, 10-8 Emma Thole LOST 4-6, 5-7 Lauryn Douglas (2) BYE | |
Round of 64 | Michaella Sullivan (17) LOST 4-6, 6-2, 7-10 Claire Keller (25) WON 6-2, 6-3 Julia Baber LOST 2-6, 5-7 Lauryn Douglas (2) WON 6-0, 6-1 | Baber/Keller (9) WON 8-2 Thole/Langhus LOST 3-8 Douglas/Sullivan (9) WON 8-2 McKinnon/Nuest LOST 6-8 |
Round of 32 | Claire Keller (25) WON 6-4, 6-4 Lauryn Douglas (2) WON 6-4, 6-1 | Baber/Keller (9) LOST 7-8 (4-7) Douglas/Sullivan (9) WON 8-2 |
Round of 16 | Claire Keller (25) WON 6-3, 6-3 Lauryn Douglas (2) WON 6-1, 6-0 | Douglas/Sullivan (9) WON 8-3 |
Quarter Finals | Claire Keller (25) LOST 2-6, 3-6 Lauryn Douglas (2) LOST 5-7, 2-6 | Douglas/Sullivan (9) WON 8-4 |
Semi Finals | Douglas/Sullivan (9) LOST 2-8 | |
Consolation Championships | ||
Singles Draw | Doubles Draw | |
Round of 16 | Courtney Nuest WON 8-5 Malia McKinnon WON 8-4 Lisey Langhus WON 8-4 | Robinson/Eisma LOST 1-8 |
Quarter Finals | Courtney Nuest WON 8-3 Malia McKinnon WON 8-4 Lisey Langhus WON 8-7 (7-4) | |
Semi Finals | Courtney Nuest WON 8-4 Malia McKinnon WON 8-5 Lisey Langhus LOST 5-8 | |
Finals | Courtney Nuest LOST 6-8 Malia McKinnon WON 8-2 |
Midwest Invite | ||
Singles Draw | Doubles Draw | |
Round of 16 | Emily Eisma WON 6-0, 6-0 Bryna Eigenfeld WON 6-3, 7-5 Payton Douglas LOST 2-6, 3-6 Skylar Robinson LOST 2-6, 1-6 | Douglas/Eigenfeld WON 8-6 Eisma/Robinson LOST 6-8 |
Quarter Finals | Emily Eisma LOST 1-6, 1-6 Bryna Eigenfeld WON 6-1, 6-0 | Douglas/Eigenfeld WON 8-6 |
Semi Finals | Bryna Eigenfeld WON 6-4, 6-4 | Douglas/Eigenfeld WON 8-2 |
Finals | Bryna Eigenfeld WON 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 | Douglas/Eigenfeld WON 8-5 |
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Players Mentioned
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Julia Baber
- Sophomore
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Lauryn Douglas
- Sophomore
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Bryna Eigenfeld
- Sophomore
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Skylar Robinson
- Sophomore
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Emma Thole
- Junior
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Courtney Nuest
- Freshman
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Michaella Sullivan
- Freshman
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Malia McKinnon
- Freshman
Players Mentioned
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Julia Baber
- Sophomore
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Lauryn Douglas
- Sophomore
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Bryna Eigenfeld
- Sophomore
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Skylar Robinson
- Sophomore
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Emma Thole
- Junior
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Courtney Nuest
- Freshman
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Michaella Sullivan
- Freshman
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Malia McKinnon
- Freshman