Edina Tennis Headed Back to State

Edina girls tennis coach Steve Paulsen appeared to have a myriad of emotions running through his head after the Hornets wrapped up their 15th consecutive section title on Thursday in Lakeville, but one quickly came to mind after the team’s 6-1 win over Wayzata.

“Certainly relief,” he said. “Wayzata really stepped it up. We had a great match against them earlier this year—the first match could have gone either way, and this could have, too. This is the closest match we’ve had with a region team for a while.”

The Hornets claimed the Section 6AA title and will face Mounds View on Oct. 25 in the Class AA quarterfinals at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center. The goal will a 15th straight state championship.

Despite the lopsided final, Thursday’s matchup was closer than it appeared. Three went to third sets—including two third sets that were executed as a tie-break—and both teams entered with vast knowledge of the other’s abilities.

After topping Edina 5-2 on Sept. 20, Paulsen said the Hornets knew the Trojans could be a difficult victory.

“The girls knew they had their hands full,” he said.

No. 1 singles player Caroline Ward and No. 3 singles player Maddie Boyer led the way. Boyer won a 6-0, 6-0 match and Ward picked up a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

For Wayzata, its dream season ended in heartbreak. Coach Marci Weiner said the team will need to start over from the beginning next year.

“The six girls who are coming back know exactly what they need to do to compete,” she said. “Once again, from Day 1 next year, we’ll have the same goals we had this year.”

For Edina, the wait for competitive play is much shorter. They’ll be preparing for Oct. 25.

“The captains know their protocol—it’s just the quirky little rituals they follow (at state),” Paulsen said. “We’re happy to be back.”

SECTION 6AA INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

No. 1 singles: Caroline Ward (E) def. Kelly Yang (W) 6-1, 6-0

No. 2 singles: Lucia Solis (W) def. Meghana Vasireddy (E) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0

No. 3 singles: Maddie Boyer (E) def. Nirupa Galagadara (W) 6-0, 6-0

No. 4 singles: Bridget Kluesner (E) def. Stephanie Heiring (W) 6-4, 6-1

No. 1 doubles: Morgan Marinovich/Mackenzie Marinovich (E) def. Alissa Heiring/Caitlin Eichten (W) 7-5, 3-6, 1-0

No. 2 doubles: Meghan Herring/Kelly Reger (E) def. Haley Nichols/Hallie Koehn (W) 6-2, 6-2

No. 3 doubles: Julia Povilaitis/Katie Engelking (E) def. Carol Coutinho/Aneesha Ahluwalia (W) 6-3, 6-7, 1-0