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The North Branch girls tennis team capped one of the best seasons in school history with a trip to the Section 7AA championship match, earning two impressive wins before falling to top-seeded Rock Ridge in the finals.

Under head coach Joel Santjer, the Vikings opened their postseason with a dominant 7-0 sweep of Cloquet, followed by a strong 5-2 victory over Hibbing to reach the section championship round for the first time in program history.

“This was a really special group,” Santjer said. “They played for each other, they worked hard every single day, and they showed everyone in our section how good North Branch tennis has become.”

In the opening round, North Branch was flawless from start to finish. Senior Paulina Rossini led the charge at number one singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cloquet’s Ellie Krube, while Rebekah Wurdemann, Evelyn O’Donnell, and Eliana Smit all earned straight-set victories to complete the singles sweep.

In doubles play, the Vikings didn’t drop a set. Charlotte Santjer and Maggie Hunter rolled 6-0, 6-1, Julia Schlagel and Abby Pfeifer matched that at second doubles, and Ainslee Hunter and Isabel Nuveen closed out the 7-0 team win.

That momentum carried into the second round, where the Vikings took down Hibbing 5-2. Wurdemann was dominant at second singles, posting a 6-0, 6-0 shutout, and Smit did the same at fourth singles with another 6-0, 6-0 win. Rossini dropped a tight three-set battle to Hibbing’s Kenedi Koland, 7-5, 0-6, 3-6, but North Branch’s depth once again proved decisive.

All three doubles pairings earned wins — Santjer and Hunter 6-2, 6-2; Schlagel and Pfeifer 6-0, 6-0; and Hunter and Nuveen 6-0, 6-0 — sending the Vikings to the Section 7AA final.

“That was one of the best team efforts we’ve had,” Santjer said. “Every court came ready to play, and our doubles groups were outstanding.”

In the section championship, North Branch ran into a powerhouse in Rock Ridge, a program that’s become a fixture at the top of the northern Minnesota tennis scene. The Vikings battled but ultimately fell 6-1, with several matches decided by only a few key points.

O’Donnell earned the team’s lone point, grinding out a 7-5, 6-2 victory at third singles. The third doubles team of Hunter and Nuveen nearly added another win but came up just short in a third-set tiebreak, falling 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

“Rock Ridge is really deep, but our girls competed hard,” Santjer said. “Even in the losses, there were so many positives. We showed we belong on that stage.”

The Vikings finished the season 21-7 overall, one of the best records in program history.  “Our seniors left their mark,” he said. “They’ve built something special, and the next group is ready to carry it forward.”

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