SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls Tennis Team (3-2, 2-2 NSIC) will host their first home weekend of NSIC for the 2022 season, with matches against Minn. State Moorhead (0-5, 0-4 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 pm and the University of Mary (4-0, 4-0 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 7 pm - both at the Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Last weekend the Cougars, directed by veteran head coach
Kevin Grebin and assistant coach
Kevin Plank, moved to 3-2 on the season with a 2-2 mark in league play after a pair of losses in NSIC play against Minn. State Mankato and Southwest Minn. State.
Breaking it down – Look at USF Tennis
The Cougars, which had a 7-6 overall mark with a 7-4 league finish in 2021, is a veteran team with a number of talented newcomers in the fold. USF was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. At 3-2 this season with a 2-2 league mark, USF has a 16-14 mark in singles and 16-4 record in duals with a 11-13 league mark. In doubles, USF is 10-5 overall, 10-5 in duals and 7-5 in league.
After recording a second straight winning season (7-6, 7-4 NSIC) and the fifth in the DII era in 2021, USF has won at least five matches in the nine tennis seasons in the NSIC. Of that total, USF has six winning NSIC records.
Quick Season Review -
Cougars beat Morningside, 6-1
The Cougars opened the season with a 6-1 nonconference win against Morningside College on Feb. 6. In the match up, USF won five singles matches in six played while sweeping doubles. The victory was the 79
th by Grebin in the DII era with his team owning 54 league wins in that time.
At No. 1 singles senior
Megan Quandt rallied to defeat Emily Clotfelter, 4-6, 6-1, 10-7 while sophomore
Danielle Thorfinnson, senior
Joelle Thorfinnson and freshmen
Emily Thinnsenand
Katelyn Nesheim all recorded straight set wins. Quandt/
Talia Janos opened the season with a dominating 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles while D. Thorfinnson/J. Thorfinnson recorded a 6-4 win at No. 2 and Thinnsen/Nesheim also won, 6-1, at No. 3 doubles.
Cougars register consecutive 5-2 wins over UMD and SCSU for 2-0 league start
In the 5-2 win over SCSU, the Cougars were led by senior
Megan Quandt, who is now 3-0 (2-0 NSIC) at No. 1 singles and also 3-0 (2-0 NSIC) in No. 1 doubles with
Talia Janos. Quandt, who was a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles this weekend, registered a 6-3, 6-1 win over Arisa Kashima of SCSU. She also took a straight set win over Mallory Luthin of UMD, 6-2, 6-4 and paired with Talia Jano for a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles.
Janos also recorded a straight set win in singles with a 7-5, 6-3 decision over Paz Aoki. Janos improved to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in league play at No. 2 singles.
Also against SCSU, USF also had wins in singles at No. 3 and No. 6.
Danielle Thorfinnson registered a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles over Johana Brower of SCSU to move to 3-0 (2-0 NSIC) on the season.
Katelyn Nesheim picked up a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win over Samantha Fitzpatrick at No. 6 singles. Both Thorfinnson and Nesheim also had wins in straight sets against UMD.
Danielle Thorfinnson and her sister Joelle Thorfinson earned a win over UMD, 6-1 but loss to SCSU, 6-4 to fall to 3-1 on the season.
Nesheim is now 3-0 at No. 6 singles after two straight wins in straight sets against UMD and SCSU. Nesheim and Thinnsen, who is 2-1 this season at No. 5 singles, have a 3-0 mark at No. 2 doubles after consecutive 6-4 wins last weekend.
Cougars take first losses of season, 5-2 against MSU & 6-1 against SMSU
The Cougars finished 2-4 in singles play and had a 1-2 mark in doubles but the Mavericks picked up the 5-2 win. At No. 5 singles, Thinnsen earned a hard fought win over Taylor Julsrud by scores of 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 1-0 (10-7) as she improved to 3-1 on the season and 2-1 in the NSIC. Also earning a win for USF was Nesheim at No. 6 singles by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 as she improved to 4-0 on the season. USF had some tough setbacks in singles as
Danielle Thorfinnson fell, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 while
Talia Janos at No. 2 also lost in three sets by a count of 6-2, 1-6, 2-6.
In doubles, USF had a win by the No. 2 doubles team of
Danielle Thorfinnson and
Joelle Thorfinnson by a 7-5 score. However, MSU won the other two doubles by scores of 6-0 (
Talia Janos/
Peyton Forney) at No. 1 and 6-2 at No. 3 (Nesheim/Thinnsen).
Against SMSU, the Cougars were defeated in five of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles contests. USF had a big day from senior
Joelle Thorfinnson who won at No. 3 singles and also teamed with her sister,
Danielle Thorfinnson, to win at doubles. In the No. 3 singles, J. Thorfinnson took a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 decision of Maja Louisa Harck. At No. 2 doubles, she and D. Thorfinnson took a 7-6 decision over Harck and Joana Indio Reis.
Overall, noted Grebin, USF had some solid performances in the loss including at No. 1 singles where
Talia Janos dropped a 6-4, 7-5 decision. At No. 5, freshman
Katelyn Nesheim lost for the first time this year in a 7-6, 6-2 setback to Cora Delich. Also the No. 1 doubles team of Janos and
Peyton Forney lost by a 7-5 score to Kristina Vuksanovic and Courtenay Leonard, 7-5.
Opponents – Series Records
Minn. State Moorhead, which is directed by Head Coach Jason Thiner, has opened the year on a five-match losing streak. They are currently 0-5 overall and 0-4 in NSIC play. The Dragons started the season with a 7-0 to Winona State, and most recently lost to St. Cloud State, 4-3. Overall, MSUM has a 8-22 mark in singles on the year, and 5-10 in doubles.
In the all-time series, USF trails MSUM, 7-4 overall. In their most recent matchup, the Cougars dropped a 4-0 decision to the Dragons on April 23, 2021 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The last time USF won a match over the Dragons was on March 27, 2021, a 5-2 win in Bismarck, N.D. Before that, the Dragons had been on a five-game winning streak over the Cougars.
At 7 pm, on Saturday, Feb. 26, USF will face U-Mary, which has opened 4-0 and 4-0 in th NSIC. The Marauders opened the NSIC on Feb. 5 with a 4-3 win over Winona State and 5-2 verdict over Upper Iowa on Feb. 6 in Winona, Minn. U-Mary is directed by Head Coach Vida Saliendra. So far, the Marauders have a 17-7 overall record in singles on the year, and are 9-3 in doubles so far.
In the all-time series, USF trails, 7-3. U-Mary has won the last two matchups, including a 4-3 decision in favor of the Marauders on March 28, 2021 in Bismarck, N.D. The Cougars' last win was a 6-3 decision on Feburary 18, 2018 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Grebin is in his 22nd year at USF --
Kevin Grebin is in his 22nd year as the head coach for the University of Sioux Falls Women's Tennis Team. Under his direction, Grebin has led the program through a DII transition and into success in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. A 2019 SD Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, Grebin has been involved with tennis for over 50 years. A Sioux Falls native, Grebin was a standout player and later served as an instructor before taking over the USF program. Grebin, whose program has advanced to the NSIC Tournament four straight years, owns an overall record of 81-75 at the DII level, including 56-45 as a member of the NSIC. USF has a 2-6 record in NSIC Tourney play and reached the tournament semifinals twice (2015-16, 2018-19)...during USF's time in the NSIC, Grebin's teams have recorded five winning seasons with at least five league wins in all nine years. His teams have had winning NSIC seasons six times including four straight years. His teams have seven wins in the NSIC four times (2021, 2018, 2016, 2015). USF had its best program mark of the DII era in 2016 in a 12-8 campaign which including a 7-4 league mark.
Up Next --
After the home weekend, the Cougars are heading to Orlando, Florida over spring break to compete in six matches throughout the week.
