Girls Tennis Team Scores First Victory

The Milbank High School girls tennis team collected a victory in its opening match with BBE on August 19, at Cantine Courts in Milbank. The Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 7-2 win. “This was a nice win for our season and home opener,” said Milbank Head Coach Jim Dahl.

Double winners for Milbank included: Halli Essington, Rhianna Welberg, Hattie Mullenbach, and Jenna Johnson. “In the only two losses of the day, there were tie breaks, so those sets were closely contested,” noted Dahl. “Up and down our lineup, I am witnessing progress, especially at our less experienced positions. Credit to all the girls for bringing a good work ethic to practice in preparing them for competition. They have done a nice job early of our team motto – Rise Above It – as well as our athletic motto this year – Make A Difference.”

Results from the match:
Milbank 7, BBE, Minnesota, 2

Singles
Varsity singles matches – 1. Jodi DeVaal fell to Morgan Meyer, 6-4, 4-6, 6-10; 2. Halli Essington defeated Mallory Bents, 6-1, 6-0; 3. Rhianna Cantine dropped to Sarah Schmitz, 4-6, 6-7 (6); 4. Rhianna Welberg defeated Sandra, 6-3, 6-2; 5. Hattie Muellenbach downed Kate Teinaar, 6-0, 6-0; 6. Jenna Johnson defeated Paige Prentice, 6-4 6-3.
Exhibition matches – Alexis Ninneman defeated Veronica Jackson, 10-5; Mackenzie Michels defeated Annika Heieie, 10-6; Abby Michels downed McKayla Weber, 10-1.

Doubles
Varsity doubles matches – 1. DeVaal/Essington defeated Schmitz/Meyer, 6-4, 6-4; 2. Cantine/Welberg defeated Amanda/Kari, 6-2, 6-4; 3. Muellenbach/Johnson downed Lee/Olivia, 6-0, 6-1.
Exhibition matches – Ninneman/M. Michels defeated Weber/Flood, 10-3; Johnson/A. Michels defeated Katie/Matison, 6-0.

Photo: Halli Essington