SIOUX FALLS -- After a short layoff, the University of Sioux Falls Tennis Team will play a pair of NSIC opponents in Grand Forks, N.D., as the regular season winds down.
The Cougars, which sit 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC, will meet Bemidji St. on Fri., April 9 at 10:30 am and Minnesota Crookston on Fri., April 9 at 2:30 pm with both matches scheduled to be played in Grand Forks, N.D. USF is 4-3 in the NSIC and sixth in the standings. Then, USF closes the regular season with Senior Day against Southwest Minnesota State on April 16 at the Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls before finishing with Upper Iowa on April 18 at Great Like-Woodlake.
Bemidji St. is 4-5 coming into the match, with a 6-1 win over St. Cloud State on March 28 in Duluth, Minn. The Cougars are 9-1 against the Beavers all-time, with USF winning the last three matches, including two home matches and one away match. USF's last home win over Bemidji St. was Feb. 8, 2020 by a 6-1 count.
Minnesota Crookston sits at 0-9 this season, after a 7-0 loss against Minnesota Duluth on March 28, and a 7-0 loss to St. Cloud State on March 27. In the all-time series with Minnesota Crookston, the Cougars have a 8-0 record with three home wins. In their most recent match, USF took a 7-0 win on Feb. 9, 2020 in Sioux Falls, SD.
Quick Review – USF now 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference
After falling to DI South Dakota, 7-1, on Feb. 3, the Cougars dropped a 5-2 decision at Winona State, in a match which USF battled the Warriors, picked third in the NSIC Preseason Coaches poll, throughout the contest. USF then went on to defeat Minnesota Duluth 5-2 on Feb. 20 in the Cougar's home opener, and defeated SCSU 4-3 on Feb. 21. In the 5-2 decision over Minnesota-Duluth, USF picked up its first win of the season. The Cougars dropped a 7-0 decision to Augustana on Sun., Feb. 28 at GreatLife-Woodlake. In a match that was rescheduled from Feb. 21 postponement, the Cougars battled all day but fell short against the defending NSIC champions.
In their most recent set of matches, USF defeated a previously undefeated MSU Moorhead team, 5-2, in Bismarck, ND on March 27. The next day, the Cougars battled hard all day, but ended up dropping a 4-3 decision to UMary on March 28 in Bismarck, ND. The NSIC Conference Championships will be held in Sioux Falls, SD at the Huether Family Matche Pointe, Fri., April 23 - Sun., April 25.
Leading the way for USF is senior
Joelle Thorfinnson, who has a 9-7 overall mark with a 5-3 record in singles at No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 (3-1) and a 4-4 record in doubles including 1-1 at No. 1. Senior
Lexi Miller is 4-4 in singles overall and 3-2 in the NSIC wit a 2-6 mark in doubles play.
Megan Quandt is 3-5 in singles and 5-3 in doubles matches. Freshman
Talia Janos is 2-4 overall at No. 2 singles and 4-2 in doubles competition. Freshman
Danielle Thorfinnson is 4-3 in singles (No. 4 and No. 5) and 3-4 in doubles competition. Senior
Rachel Klatt is 2-6 in singles play at No. 6 and 3-3 in doubles. Senior
Victoria Ambrosio-Cueto is 3-0 at No. 6 singles.
USF's No. 1 doubles, USF will pair Quandt and
Joelle Thorfinnson, which is 1-1 so far in 2021, while
Danielle Thorfinnson and
Talia Janos will play at No. 2 doubles for the first time. At No. 3,
Lexi Miller and
Rachel Klatt is 1-2 overall and in league play.
Overall this season, USF is 23-25 in singles but stand 23-19 in NSIC competition. In doubles, USF is 11-13 but 11-10 in the NSIC.
USF picked 5th in NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll
USF was been picked to finish fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll which was released by the league office on Tuesday, Feb. 2. A year ago, USF, which was 8-5 before the CoVID-19 pandemic ended the season, finished 43-33 in singles with a 33-15 record before the CoVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season. USF was also 21-17 in doubles with a 16-7 league record. USF advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Championships in 2018-19.
