The Cambridge-Isanti girls tennis team has been having an outstanding season. Most recently, the girls pulled off a pair of big wins over St. Paul Harding and Robinsdale Armstrong on Sept. 23 in Elk River.
In their fast match, Harding seemed to be pulling away with things after taking first in singles and doubles. The Bluejackets depth was on full display; however, as junior Shelby Parent took second and seniors Annie Fredlund and Jordyn Kusske took third and fourth in singles. Kusske won both of her sets 6-0.
For the doubles, it was eighth-grader Ashley Ladd and junior Lauren Kindem taking second, while senior Anna Leibel and sophomore Maddie Paynes took third.
After their match against Harding, the girls were ready for Armstrong. After losing the top two spots in singles, Fredlund and Kusske made up points by finishing in third and fourth respectively.
The doubles teams were ready for Armstrong and they cleaned house by taking the top three spots. The Bluejackets scored enough to stay in front of Armstrong and pull off the road win.
Head coach Lee Orvik had plenty to say about his team’s stellar performance this season.
“We played a very tough schedule last week. We played quite well against Buffalo and their deep and improved lineup with a top notch exchange student playing first singles for them. She was really, really good. We lost 6-1, however. We had some very close three set matches at two singles and one doubles.
Third doubles also had a very tight match. Jordyn Kusske was our lone win at third singles. She fought through an illness to win in three sets. I was extremely proud of her.”
The team is also excited to welcome a new member from Spain, who preformed well in her first varsity action in Elk River.
“We had a new member join our team part way into the season, but she didn’t get a chance to play in an official varsity match until Saturday at the Elk River Quad. She had played exhibition and had dealt with illness that held her out for a while. Saturday was quite a day for her first experience playing for an official point on an American tennis team-three complete matches on a ridiculously hot and humid day. She handled it like a champ. Her name is Julia Riviere-Beleta, and she is from Barcelona, Spain. She is a very good player with powerful strokes. She played first doubles on Saturday, but she will also be playing singles for us. She fits well with this group of classy, fun, and talented girls. We’re very happy that she is with us.”
The girls are 12-3 on the season with only a few weeks left to play. The girls will look to stay consistent and play the game that got them this far. Their next match will be Sept. 28 when they hit the road to take on North Branch.