Lakeville South Girls Tennis Swept in Doubles Play by Wayzata

It looked great early on. The girls tennis team's No. 1 doubles squad took an early lead, and other teams followed suit, only to be beaten without reaping a victorious set for the home team.

“We started off strong but in some places we dwindled after the first set,” Lakeville South Head Coach John Pieri said. “They were tougher than we were at the net.”

The Cougar girls also had a hard time hitting their targets at times and over hit the ball. They also had a hard time lobbing the ball during play on Monday afternoon.

There were a few bright spots during the 5-2 loss, however. Senior captain and South’s No. 1 singles player Shelby Henderson won her match handily in two sets over Wayzata freshman Kelly Yang. Henderson is ranked as the eighth best singles player in the state, and she showed it against Wayzata by picking apart her opponent.

“She didn’t do anything super fancy. She just outplayed her opponent by using her opponent’s strengths against her,” Pieri said. “Shelby also has great hands. That is something that sets her apart from a lot of players.”

Another bright spot for the Cougars was the play of senior Erika Williams. She ended up winning by forfeit because her opponent—junior Caitlin Eichten—experienced some breathing problems. But Williams won numerous tough points and long volleys.

The loss puts the Cougars at 5-2 on the season. Their next matches are against Eastview at home on Tuesday, August 30 at 3:30 p.m. and on Thursday, September 1 at Lakeville North at 3:30 p.m.