Back in Swing: Pipestone Area girls’ tennis team looks to parlay experience into banner campaign


If it’s true that success breeds success, it might just be the Arrows’ season.

Finishing with a stellar season mark of 11-4 in 2017, and beating St. James for the first time under the tutelage of longtime skipper Ed Gustafson, the Pipestone Area girls’ tennis team is hopeful their continued success might just have them competing at the Read-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Oct. 23-26.

“Yeah, I think they’re all excited and looking for a good year,” Gustafson said Monday afternoon. “We have a lot of experience back, so hopefully that will help us in the long run.”

Not only do the Arrows have experience in seniors Lauren Lapthorn, Carmen Skyberg, Adrianna Johnson, Courtney Kanthak, Maciah Lorang, Lauren Powers, Tricia Nissen, Gianna Njau and Anne Baartz, but the junior and sophomore classes have plenty to offer as well.

“Putting them in the right spots is going to be the key,” Gustafson said. “We have a couple juniors, of course, who are really tough also, so we have to find out where each of them is going to help the team the best. We’ll still need kids to step up into those 3-4 singles positions and the Nos. 2-3 doubles teams aren’t quite set.”

Junior Paige Ahrendt, a 2016 state qualifier with Lapthorn, is the most notable player outside of Gustafson’s senior group, but classmates Mataya Douty and Hannah Minet are likely to ample time on the court as singles or doubles. And sophomores Olivia Lapthorn and Skyler Mendro are expected to challenge for some of those 3-4 singles and 2-3 doubles positions as well. Others poised to gain varsity experience and fill in as needed include senior Jenna Kerkaert, and sophomores MacKenzie Manderscheid and Morgan Niehus.

The tandem of Lauren Lapthorn and Ahrendt are likely to hold down the Nos. 1 and 2 singles positions, while Skyberg and Kanthak are solid candidates to represent the Arrows at No. 1 doubles.

“I think Lauren and Paige are going to play at those positions all year and be really tough for us,” Gustafson said. “The third and fourth singles are up in the air. We have some girls who are going to want to play singles, like Tricia, Olivia, Mataya and maybe Gianna, but whoever it is has to step up big time. The Nos. 3 and 4 singles positions have been big for us in the past. Hannah Berg was a strong No. 3 for us last year, and Lexi Carstensen was big for us there a couple seasons ago, so we’ll look for real ‘steady’ players to fill those spots. We’re looking for players to, again, be steady and just put the ball back in (the court).

“As far as the doubles, it looks like Carmen and Courtney can step up there. One is a lefty (Skyberg) and the other is a righty. They’re both aggressive, and they both have a good wingspan, which helps on both accounts.”

Outside of that likely tandem, Lorang, Johnson, Baartz, Njau and the remaining underclassmen will vie for the Nos. 2 and 3 doubles positions.

“Micah and Adrianna are going to try to hold down that No. 2 spot, but we have to make choices early because we play at Lac qui Parle Valley on Friday already,” Gustafson said.

Certainly 11 wins should have the Arrows chomping at the bit this fall, and Lapthorn and Ahrendt getting eliminated from state contention after reaching the ‘show’ in 2016 is also likely to fuel the fire heading into the campaign.

“We have an opportunity to do very well this season,” Gustafson said. “One of the big goals last year was to beat St. James, so I’m hoping we can reach some of the same goals this year. I think some of the girls’ goals will be pretty high, so I hope they work out.”

With that said the Arrows’ path to attaining those goals is all too familiar.

“They have to play without feeling the pressure, that’s the biggest thing” Gustafson said. “Can you handle the pressure on the big points, the add point or the deuce point? Hopefully, we’ll handle those ‘big points’ better this fall. We have a few, like Lauren and Paige, who have handled that really well, we just have to get some of those other seniors – who don’t play other sports – to realize how to play those critical points. I think they’ll look to Lauren and Paige to help them, and we hope they can be good leaders out there.”

The Arrows open the 2018 season on the road, playing the Lac qui Parle Valley Eagles Friday in Madison.