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Pipestone Area singles player Will Rops follows through on a forehand return versus Redwood Valley’s Laiten Goodthunder Thursday afternoon in Pipestone. Rops won the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. K. Kyle
The Pipestone Area boys’ tennis team finished 1-1 in its two Big South Conference tilts during the week, edging the Redwood Valley Cardinals 4-3 Thursday evening in Pipestone before having the Blue Earth Buccaneers flip that scoreline (3-4 loss) against the Arrows Friday in Blue Earth.
“I think we just went into (Thursday’s) the match overconfident,” said Pipestone Area head coach Ed Gustafson, whose team started the match having already gained two team points through forfeits at Nos. 2 & 3 doubles. “We didn’t play our best match on Thursday, and I thought – even though we lost – we played better on Friday in Blue Earth.”
Despite leading in the early stages of 3-of-4 contests, the Arrows managed just one singles victory on Thursday versus the Cardinals. Will Rops, was a comfortable straight-set (6-1, 6-2) victor against Laiten Goodthunder at No. 3, while teammates Tony Wacker (No. 1), Ryan Woodbury (No. 2) and Lucas Zupp (No. 4) proved rather inconsistent. The former fell 3-6 in his opener against the Cardinals’ top player Andrew Muetzel, but fought well in the second set before bowing out 5-7. Woodbury came back from a 3-6 loss in his opening set against Jacob Zollner to win the second set 7-6 (8-6). In the end, the Cardinal No. 2 won the tiebreak, and the match, at 10-7. Zupp too had his moments, forging an early lead versus Cole Johnson before bowing out 3-6, 4-6 in the final singles bout.
“Lucas has been playing well, had a good match in Blue Earth, but he still needs to develop more inconsistency; Ryan dripped a close three-setter, and we decided to move him to No. 3 on Friday… let Will move up to No. 2 where his offensive skills should help him,” Gustafson said.
In doubles action Thursday, the Arrows top dogs, Cole Paulson and Isaac Stiles won the only match played – beating Noah Oren and Levi Stoneberg 6-1, 6-0.
While the shuffle of the lineup didn’t help Rops in Blue Earth on Friday, Woodbury claimed what proved to be the Arrows’ lone singles victory on the day at No. 3. Although Woodbury dropped the middle set 1-6, he bookended his victory with a 7-5 win in the first and third sets to carry the match against James Green. Wacker had a tough 0-6, 1-6 loss to Vern Johnson, Rops bowed out 3-6, 4-6 to Nick Frundt at No. 2 and Zupp dropped a 2-6, 4-6 decision to Jarmen Johnson.
Pipestone Area was again strong in its doubles play in Blue Earth, winning 2-of-3 matches. Paulson and Stiles were sharp in defeating Joe Frundt and Devin Haase, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 1, while Jaden Lorang and Owen Minet proved steady in dispatching Seth Stevernen and Jerry Passe, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 2. The Arrows’ No. 3 pairing of Cody Norberg and Chase Wilson just couldn’t seem to find a rhythm against Brady Lorenz and Jon Lappe, bowing out in straight sets, 0-6, 1-6.
“Our doubles teams are playing pretty well right now, especially Nos. 1 & 2,” Gustafson said. “They’re getting better each match and I think we can count on our doubles to earn us team points most of the time.”
The Arrows will look for more doubles victories and more consistency up and down the lineup Thursday evening when it travels to St. James to face the Saints.