Box Score SIOUX FALLS – In the conference opener with a young team, University of Sioux Falls Tennis flashed its potential with a 6-3 victory over Minnesota State. Spearheaded by three freshmen earning exciting three-set victories in singles and a 2-1 edge in doubles, the Cougars remained unbeaten on the year with a 3-0 record and a 1-0 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
 
In his 16th year as head coach, Kevin Grebin was quick to comment on the resiliency of his young team, focusing on the grit of his talented freshman class.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of what this team did tonight," Grebin said. "Our singles lineup tonight was four freshmen, a sophomore and senior, and to beat a team like Minnesota State is a major accomplishment this early in the season. We hit it well tonight and sometimes got in trouble trying to over-hit against their top players, but the resilience they all showed really showed what this team is capable of."
 
Seeking their second victory over Minnesota State (1-2, 0-1 NSIC) in six meetings, the Cougars knew they had to take an early lead in doubles play. As they have in Grebin's tenure, Sioux Falls grabbed two of the three doubles matches, with four underclassmen earning the victories.
 
At No. 3 doubles, Kelsie Sanders and Rachel Klatt made quick work of their MSU opponents, winning 8-3 for the first team point. Lexi Miller and Joelle Thorfinnson dropped an 8-5 decision at No. 2 doubles, but USF's top two freshmen singles players gutted out a win at the top doubles spot. Chloe Jefferies and Megan Quandt scored a late break to win 9-7 at No. 1 doubles for the early 2-1 lead in the team score.
 
Minnesota State quickly tied the overall score up as Cortney McCans dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision at No. 6 singles, but the Cougars struck back. Sanders earned her second commanding victory with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles.
 
The Mavericks again knotted the team score, winning the No. 2 singles match. Quandt suffered a 6-2, 6-3 defeat, but that was the last match MSU would win.
 
Miller, a Mankato, Minn. native, was the first to show the resilience her coach referenced. After winning the first set, she dropped the second, forcing a 10-point tiebreaker to decide the match. Shaking off an early double fault, Miller stormed back to earn a mini break and fought off her opponent's comeback attempt to win 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 at No. 3 singles.
 
Earning the match-clinching victory, Jefferies had provided a thrilling finish to the victory at No. 1 singles. She earned a late break to force a tiebreak in the first set, which she won decisively, 7-6 (7-2). But her hard-hitting opponent forced a third set with a two-break victory, 6-1. In the marathon third-set tiebreaker, Jefferies epitomized the grit of the young Cougars, fighting off six match points to win 14-1 and seal the victory.
 
Looking like she was rolling to a straight-set victory, Thorfinnson had to shake off a heart-breaking second-set loss. The No. 5 singles player for USF, Thorfinnson took a set lead with a 6-4 win, and she held a 4-1 edge in the second before her MSU counterpart stormed back to win 7-5. In the third-set tiebreaker, Thorfinnson showed a short memory and won, 10-5, to finalize the 6-3 Sioux Falls win.
 
The Cougars continue their weekend home stand and the start of six straight home matches with a 7 p.m. match against Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 10 at Huether Family Match Pointe.
 
Singles competition
1. Jefferies, Chloe (USF) def. Streeter, Erin (MSU) 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 14-12
2. Ryan, Monika (MSU) def. Quandt, Megan (USF) 6-2, 6-3
3. Miller, Lexi (USF) def. DeWees, Kylie (MSU) 6-4, 3-6, 10-8
4. Sanders, Kelsie (USF) def. Risselman, Nina (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Thorfinnson, Joelle (USF) def. Washa, Tyanna (MSU) 6-4, 5-7, 10-5
6. Muotka, Madeline (MSU) def. McCans, Cortney (USF) 6-2, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Jefferies, Chloe/Quandt, Megan (USF) def. Streeter, Erin/Ryan, Monika (MSU) 9-7
2. DeWees, Kylie/Risselman, Nina (MSU) def. Miller, Lexi/Thorfinnson, Joelle (USF) 8-5
3. Sanders, Kelsie/Klatt, Rachel (USF) def. Bresnahan, Valerie/Washa, Tyanna (MSU) 8-3
 
Match Notes
Minnesota State 1-2, 0-1 NSIC
Sioux Falls 3-0, 1-0 NSIC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,4,2,3,1,5)