Oct. 15—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg came up just shy of a state berth.
The top-seeded Morris/Chokio-Alberta/West Central Area girls tennis team earned a 4-2 victory against third-seeded Benson/KMS in the Section 3A championship on Thursday at Huether Family Match Pointe.
The section champion Tigers are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2021. The Class A state team tournament play takes place from Oct. 27-28 at InnerCity Tennis in Minneapolis.
They did so through a sweep in singles play, led by junior Lydia Sweep.
Lydia secured a 6-0, 6-0 win against Benson/KMS junior Tara Beyer at No. 1 singles.
Lauren Sweep, Samantha Konz and Leah Schei were also singles winners for the Tigers.
Benson/KMS got on the board with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles.
Juniors Ella Lysen and Hazel Habben won 6-3, 6-0 against Ruby Lhotka and Annabella Ekren. Junior Lizzie Jopp and sophomore Lyla Oakes won 6-2, 6-3 over Bethany Backman and Magdalyne Culbertson.
The No. 3 doubles match between Benson/KMS senior Paulina Velazquez and sophomore Emmie Grussing and MACA/WCA's Jaedyn Mau and Claire Maus went undecided.
The 3A individual tournament is on Monday and Tuesday back at Huether Family Match Pointe.
Third-seeded Benson/Kerhoven-Murdock-Sunburg grabbed three out of the four singles matches to upset second-seeded Montevideo and advance to the championship match.
Tara Beyer, Emily McGinty and Kinsley Trump were the singles winners at Nos. 1, 3 and 4.
Trump's win was key. It came in a three-set match against Anja Wythe. Trump won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Benson/KMS also got a victory at No. 1 doubles, featuring Ella Lysen and Hazel Habben.
Emily Koosmann was the sole Thunder Hawk to capture a point in singles play. Montevideo's other two wins came at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles, where Kamryn Bjerkeset and Valeria Turcios and Ava Spray and Alex Joyce were the winners.
Top-seeded Morris/Chokio-Alberta/West Central Area cruised past fourth-seeded Yellow Medicine East in the semifinals at Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
YME quickly grabbed two singles and two doubles victories to advance to the championship.
Samantha Konz and Leah Schei had Nos. 3 and 4 singles wins for the Tigers. They also got Nos. 1 and 3 doubles wins from Ruby Lhotka and Annabella Ekren and Jadeyn Mau and Claire Maras.
The sole YME victory came at No. 2 doubles by Breea Johnson and Brielle Redepenning.
All of Litchfield's individuals — which includes two singles players and a pair of doubles teams remain alive after the first round of the Section 5A individual tournament at Glencoe.
Emma Wuotila, who earned a first-round bye in singles play, opened with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Sibley East's Amelia Odenthal. Wuotila faces Holy Family's Brooklyn Mauch in the semifinals.
Marcella Bruning won both of her matches to also advance to the semifinals and will face Belle Plaine's Ella Thorstad. Bruning started off section play with a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Le Sueur-Henderson's Libby Genelin and then beat Sibley East's Macey Thoele 6-4, 7-6 (10).
Isla Dille and Molly Patten earned a first-round bye in doubles play and started with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Holy Family's Greta Miklethun and Angie Cody. Dille and Patten will play Sibley East's Addie Cowell and Tessa McCracken in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Elise Carlson and Brynn Nagel also had a first-round bye and won their first match 6-4, 6-4 against Belle Plaine's Nina Messer and Taylor Menke. Carlson and Nagel will play Le Sueur-Henderson's Teagan Graham and Sallie Nesbit in the semifinals.
Day 2 picks up at 9 a.m. Tuesday at West Hills Tennis and Pickleball Center in Owatonna.