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The Wildcat girls entered the Section 7AA playoffs as the fourth seed, meaning that they hosted fifth seeded St. Francis Monday, October 8. The Wildcats treated their fans to a 6-1 win over the Saints to move into the second round.

"We know that playing at home is a big advantage, so we were looking for a fast start against St. Francis and that is exactly what happened," said CL head coach Steve Otte.

Meet Summary/

Coach's Comments

Singles

1S Alyssa Lundberg won 7-5, 6-4.

2S Kristen Dobosenski won 6-0, 6-3.

Kristen got off to a quick start and kept things rolling from there. When her serves are going in, her opponents really don't have a chance on the court.

3S Kristen Lee won 6-1, 6-1.

Kristen did a great job staying deep in the court and keeping the ball in play. She is willing to play a long time out there to win a match.

4S Ali Turnquist won 6-1, 6-0.

Ali took control of this match just like Dobo and Kristen did. She took the momentum early and rode it to a win.

Doubles

1D Tracy Schneider/Jess Olson lost 4-6, 4-6.

This was a close match with some very nice points being played out. In the end, St. Francis was just a little better today.

2D Christina Leaf/Gretchen Richter won 6-1, 7-5.

These two girls have been playing some great tennis lately. They have now won five matches in a row for the team. Nice job ladies!

3D Megan Corradi/Michelle Caneday won 6-4, 6-3.

Megan and Michelle have been playing really well together this year. They keep finding ways to be successful on the courts.

Section 7AA, Round Two

The win over St. Francis earned the Wildcats a second round match-up at Forest Lake Tuesday, October 9. The Rangers, who handed the Wildcats a 7-0 win in late August, proved too good for the 'Cats, again, winning 6-1.

"We knew the team would have its hands full, so we went with our doubles-strong lineup to see what would happen," commented Otte. "I was hoping to get at least three points with this lineup and maybe a fourth. In the end, Forest Lake was just too strong of a team for us."

Meet Summary/

Coach's Comments

Singles

1S Kristen Lee lost 1-6, 0-6.

2S Megan Corradi lost 1-6, 2-6.

3S Ali Turnquist lost 0-6, 1-6.

4S Michelle Caneday lost 0-6, 0-6.

Doubles

1D Tracy Schneider/Alyssa Lundberg won 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.

Tracy and Alyssa played really well, once they settled in. It has been a few years since a doubles team for Chisago has forced both players from the other team to start play from the baseline. Alyssa had the players from the other team wondering where the ball was going to go next. These two really complimented each other well in this match.

2D Jess Olson/Kristen Dobosenski lost 2-6, 1-6.

3D Christina Leaf/Gretchen Richter lost 0-6, 2-6.

7AA Individual Tournament

St. Cloud, October 10

Each team sends two singles players and two doubles teams to the individual portion of section play. 7AA individuals was played at Gold's Gym in St. Cloud. Alyssa Lundberg and Kristen Dobosenski were the singles entrants for CL. Jess Olson/Tracy Schneider and Christina Leaf/Gretchen Richter represented the Wildcats in the doubles competition.

Lundberg, seeded fourth in singles, beat Toni Hall of Princeton 6-1, 6-1 in the first round. "Alyssa really hit the ball well and took control of the match early," Otte said. In the second round, Alyssa faced the fifth seed, Tori Marlton, from Cambridge. "The Cambridge girl came out on fire and missed very few shots from the start. We kept waiting and hoping that she would drop down a level in play. But, she kept her momentum throughout the match and beat Alyssa 1-6, 2-6," Otte continued.

Kristen Dobosenski was the 11th seed and played the sixth seed, Lauren Gravelle, from Forest Lake, in the first round. "I was really impressed with Kristen's groundstrokes during the match. Every point was a long rally. But, she ended up coming up short in the end. Kristen lost the match 1-6, 1-6," the coach said.

Schneider and Olson were seeded sixth and took on the 11th seeded team from Princeton in the first round. "They got off to a slow start and had the first set slip away from them," Otte explained. "They got things rolling in the second set and won it easily. The third set found them down 0-3 early and they started to get things going again. Unfortunately, it was a little too late and the team from Princeton won the match 3-6, 6-3, 5-7."

Leaf and Richter were matched up against the number one seeded team, from Elk River, in the first round. "Added to the pressure was the fact that they had to play on court one, in front of all the spectators. They made the most of it but ended up losing 0-6, 1-6," Otte said.

The Wildcat tennis team will conclude its season with a banquet on Tuesday, October 23 at CLHS.

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