For the first time in Becker High School history, the girls tennis team has advanced to the state tournament with a huge win over Bemidji last Friday evening in Sartell.

The Bulldogs (17-3) began the Section 8AA playoffs seeded #2 in the south region. Their first opponent was #7-seeded Sartell-St. Stephen and the Bulldogs dispatched of them, 7-0 back on Oct. 3.

In round two, Becker faced off against #3-seeded St. Cloud Tech and squeaked out a 4-3 victory two days later.

Last Friday, the Bulldogs took on the #1-seeded Brainerd Warriors and won handily, 6-1. With that, Becker advanced to the championship match against #2-seeded north champions Bemidji and won 5-2 to move on to state.

“Anna Ritchie is the person who clinched the state birth at #2 singles, playing the best she’s ever played,” said Head Coach Nathan Bucher. “The fanbase was incredible and the excitement was overwhelming when Anna’s matchpoint ended.”

In individual play, Becker’s Courtney Nuest, ranked #3 in the south bracket, won her first match over #2-seeded (north) Kate Kurtzman of Brainerd, 6-2, 6-0 to advance to round two. In the second round, Nuest met up with eventual winner, #1-seeded (south) Ashley Tarrolly of Tech and lost 6-2, 6-0.

Nuest then played #1-seeded (north) Savannah Haugen of Bemidji and won 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (1). In the final of the third place match, Nuest lost to #2-seeded (south) Peyton Kopel of Foley, 6-1, 6-4.

In doubles, Becker’s #2-seeded duo of Julia Bengtson and Alayna Lindquist beat the #3-seeded (north) twosome of Lily Jones and Ally Goeden of Brainerd, 6-0, 6-0 to advance to round two.

In the second round, Becker’s duo beat Moorhead’s #1-seeded (north) twosome of Kylie Dumas and Azylen Lunak, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

In the finals, Bengtson and Lindquist took on the #1-seeded (south) duo from Tech in Kate Inderieden and Natalie Peterson, who proceeded to knock off Becker’s best with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 score.

The state tournament begins Tuesday and runs through Friday at the Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Minnesota. Becker commences their state title run with a match against Woodbury in round one. The other teams involved in the quest for a state title are Mayo, Minnetonka, Mounds View, Wayzata and Elk River.