The Becker Bulldog girls tennis team completed their regular season play this week and began Section 8AA play in Sartell Friday.

 

Last Saturday, Becker hosted a Granite Ridge Conference individual tournament and Rachel Lukkarilla and the duo of Taylor Pawlicki and Megan Nelson took home first place finishes.

Lukkarilla, playing at #2 singles, received a first round bye, then beat Maren Butenhoff of Aitkin, 6-3, 6-1 before knocking off Gracie LeBrunn of Pine City, 6-0, 6-4 to take first place.

 

Pawlicki and Nelson also had a first round bye, then they beat Allison Eustice and Jordi Kneizler of Mora, 6-1, 6-3 before finishing off Hailey Kurtz and Madison Gorecki of Foley, 5-7, 7-5, 10-4 for their first place finish.

 

Olivia Hultgren, playing at #1 singles, beat Taylor Neil of Mora, 6-0, 6-0, then beat Claire Browning of Aitkin, 4-6, 6-2, 10-3 before she dropped the championship match to Natalie Cahill of Pine City by a 6-4, 6-4 score.

 

Ashley Souba, playing at #3 singles for Becker, beat Jordan Horning of Mora, 6-1, 6-1 before succumbing to Beckey Langer of Pierz, 6-3, 6-0. Souba then lost to Brynn Wilson of Aitkin in the third place match by a score of 6-4, 7-5.

 

Becker’s Anna Ritchie received a first round bye at #4 singles, then lost to Maggie Kipka of Foley, 6-4, 6-3. Ritchie battled back and won the third place match against AnnMarie Oberg of Mora by a 6-2, 6-0 score to take the third place title.

 

Becker’s #1 doubles team of Madison Anderson and Hannah Bengtson lost their first round match to Mora’s Katelynn Murner and Kennadie Anderson, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, then beat Anessa Leidenfrost and Brittney Boser of Pierz, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6, then beat Raven Rarick and Lydia Adams of Pine City, 7-5, 6-3 to win fifth place.

 

At #3 doubles, Becker’s Amanda Brown and Ally Kangas lost to Olivia Wells and Kylee Frisbie of Foley, 6-3, 6-4 in their first round match. They then lost to Mikaela Justen and Angel Beaufeaux of Aitkin, 7-5, 6-3.

 

 

Becker’s #1 and #2 doubles teams won their matches, but the rest of the squad fell to the Knights at home Monday afternoon.

 

Head Coach Nathan Bucher played with the lineups Monday, putting singles players Hultgren and Lukkarilla together at #1 doubles against STMA’s Rachel Jenkins and Jolene Duda. Hultgren and Lukkarilla prevailed, 6-2, 6-2.

 

At #2 doubles, Bucher pitted Bengtson and Anderson against STMA’s Brianna Woitalia and Serena Gjesvold and the Becker duo won by a score of 5-7, 6-1, 10-7.

 

Becker’s third doubles team — consisting of Amanda Lindsay and Payton Bernstrom — fell to the Knights’ Sydney Hanlon and Emily Solberg, 3-6, 1-6.

 

Souba moved up to #1 singles and couldn’t overcome STMA’s Ana Getz, who beat Souba 6-3, 6-3. Pawlicki played at #2 singles and lost to Kiana Eystad, 6-0, 6-0 and Ritchie lost at #3 singles to Cory Eull, 6-0, 6-0.

 

Friday, the girls traveled to Sartell to participate in the Section 8AA south bracket and played Sauk Rapids-Rice in the morning. The winner would move on to play at 4:30 p.m. (look for results from the section play in next week’s Citizen).