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The Wildcat tennis team finished its regular season on a high note with three consecutive non-conference wins. Monday, May 14 at Pine City they beat the highly ranked Dragons 5-2. The next day, still on the road, they dispatched Cambridge-Isanti 6-1 and they finished the week by shutting out Princeton 7-0 on the CLHS courts Thursday, May 17.

CL 5, Pine City 2

"The match with Pine City was a great match for the kids and for the whole team," said Wildcat head coach Steve Otte. "Pine City came with a bunch of seniors who have been on the varsity for a couple years now. They are rated in the state for Class A tennis, so I knew it would be a good match."

Meet Summary

Coach's Comments

Singles

1st - Joe Knafla won 6-3, 7-6. Joe really found his ground strokes in this match. He moved Frank around on the court and played really well.

2nd - Matt Carpenter lost 5-7, 4-6.

3rd Kyle Hogie won 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

4th - David Carlson won 6-3, 6-4. David did a great job keeping the ball deeper in the court and that really has made him a stronger player.

Doubles

1st - Scott Leigh/Mark Eagan won 7-5, 1-6, 6-4. These guys got away from their game plan in the second set and then got back on track for the third set. The first doubles team from Pine City has not been beaten by a Wildcat team in a while.

2nd - Jacob Spehar/Matt Jorgenson lost 2-6, 2-6. These guys played a really tough team today. The guys from Pine City could be a first doubles team for many of the teams in the state.

3rd Mike Zvonar/Jeremy Patterson won 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. This match went back and forth and I am proud of the way Mike and Jeremy kept fighting in this match. If they keep this up they will win some important points for the team in the next few matches.

"The Wildcats did a great job against Pine City. This is the first time that we have beat them in many years," Otte commented. "I think you would have to go back to when Gillach (Jim, former Wildcat coach) was a coach to find the last time we beat Pine City. Well done Wildcats!"

CL 6 Cambridge-Isanti 1

"This was an important match for the team because Cambridge is in our sub-section and beating them helps to get a higher team seed. The boys were ready to play and took care of business right away. I was really impressed with how they handled themselves on the court today," Otte said.

Singles

1st - Joe Knafla lost 6-4, 3-6, 0-6. Joe played Johnson really well in the first set and pulled it out. The difference in the other two sets was that Johnson attacked everything Joe threw at him. Joe battled really hard but the end result was not in his favor.

2nd Matt Carpenter won 6-4, 6-2. Matt did a nice job in this match. He played his regular style of working his way to the middle of the court and ending points quick. He frustrated the kid from Cambridge and won.

3rd Kyle Hogie won 6-2, 6-1. Kyle did a very nice job moving the ball around is his match.

4nd David Carlson won 6-2, 6-2. David continues to play strong tennis at fourth singles for the team.

Doubles

1st Scott Leigh/Mark Eagan won 6-1, 6-1. These guys are working hard to prove that they deserve a high seed for sub-section individuals next week. Today's match will back that statement up.

2nd Jacob Spehar/Matt Jorgenson won 7-6, 6-1. Jacob and Matt played a very close first set and won it in a tie-breaker. The momentum would be with each team for two games and then switch to the other team. They got it going in the second set and closed out the match.

3rd Mike Zvonar/Jeremy Patterson won 6-4, 6-2. These guys played some long games and won the big points when they needed them.

CL 7, Princeton 0

"This was the last regular season match for the team and they did a great job against Princeton," coach Otte said.

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