Luverne tennis record at 6-1 after first loss of season in Fairmont

The Luverne Cardinals came up on the short end of a 4-3 decision in Fairmont Tuesday, Aug. 30, marking their first loss in the busy start of the 2022 tennis season.
Luverne defeated River Valley 4-3 in Sleepy Eye Monday, Aug. 29, and captured the team championship in the Worthington Doubles Tourney Saturday, Aug. 27.
The Cardinals, with a dual record of 6-1, were scheduled to host Blue Earth Area Tuesday and will travel to Marshall Thursday before playing in Worthington Tuesday, Sept. 13.
 
Fairmont 4, Luverne 3
Fairmont picked up two wins in singles competition and took two doubles match to hand LHS their first loss of the season.
Luverne received a win in straight sets at No. 3 singles where Roselynn Hartshorn defeated Brynn Gustafson 6-3, 6-1. Cassi Chesley defeated Elly Stegge 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in a very exiting three-set match.
Augusta Papik and Cailtin Kindt nailed down a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Solveigh Serif and Madi Peyman at No. 3 doubles for the lone Luverne win in doubles.
Rayann Remme at No. 1 singles lost to Hope Klanderud 6-1, 6-1. Morgan Hadler at No. 2 singles was defeated 6-3, 6-1 by Abi Peyman. 
Katharine Kelm and Sarah Stegenga were also defeated in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 by Anika Haugen and Johanna Petschke at No. 1 doubles. Tori Hemme and Priscilla Muehr lost to Paige Linse and Lilly Laven 7-5, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles.
LHS coach Jon Beers said he was happy with how all the singles players performed in Fairmont.
“Cassi Chesley and Roselynn Hartshorn have been playing doubles most of the season. It was nice to see them play and win some great matches at singles,” he said.
“Augusta Papik and Caitlin Kindt continue to impress me with their doubles play. Even though we didn't come out on the winning end against Fairmont, the girls will learn from this and will only get better," Beers said.
 
Luverne 4, River Valley 3
In the River Valley match, LHS won one singles match and all three doubles matches. 
Hadler was able to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 over Brissa Hernandes at No. 2 singles in a match that decided the outcome of the dual.
“Morgan was the last match to finish,” Beers said. “It was a match that we needed to win, and Morgan played spectacularly.” 
At No. 1 singles, Remme was defeated 6-0, 6-0. Chloe Schoeneman was defeated 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3 and Papik was defeated 6-3, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.
In doubles play, all three LHS teams won by identical scores of 6-0, 6-1. Stegenga and Kelm played No. 1, Chesley and Hartshorn at No. 2, and Hemme and Muehr at No. 3 doubles. 
“All the doubles teams played outstanding tennis,” said coach Beers. 
“We are trying to find our best combination of singles and doubles players so that we can field our best team when the section tournament starts.”
       
Worthington tourney
The Cardinals were the team champions at the Worthington Doubles Tournament on Aug. 27.
A total of six LHS doubles squads played seven, seven-game matches in one of three flights at the event.
One LHS doubles team claimed a flight title, and the Cardinals claimed the team championship with 215 points.
Pipestone (179 points), Yellow Medicine East (101) and Worthington (93) capped the field.
Papik and Kindt compiled 47 points (total games won) to win the White Flight, while Remme and Emma Nath placed second in the flight with 41 points.
In the Red Flight, Roselynn Hartshorn and Cassi Chesley took second with 32 points and Kelm and Stegenga placed third with 31 points.
Hadler and Chloe Schoeneman placed second in the Black Flight and Hemme and Muehr placed third. Both teams finished with 32 points with Hadler and Schoeneman winning the tiebreaker.
“The girls played great all day,” said Beers. “We won this tournament last year by scoring 200 points.”
“We were able to beat that score, so the girls should be really proud of that accomplishment. This is the first time for me that all six teams were able to finish in the Top 3 of their flights.”