As the season wraps up for Sartell girls’ tennis, seniors reflect on their experience this fall and all of the memories the team has made this year.

Due to a large senior group this season, which made up twelve out of thirty-eight players, there was a great opportunity for competitive matches to take place on the court. 

At the start of the season, matches appeared more challenging to win. Later on, however, the Sabres began to showcase the skill they had worked all season for, fighting especially hard against each of their Cardinal opponents: Annandale, Willmar, and Alexandria.

Last Tuesday, when the Sabres took home a 7-0 win against Willmar—the first sweep win in many years for girls tennis—the team was ecstatic. 

Head Coach Sarah Crandall stated that this was the biggest highlight of the season, adding, “For everybody just to have that motivation to win all seven points at one time, rather than a 2-5 or a 3-4…I think winning a 7-0 was just good for the whole team.”

Along with this great team win, players note that other matches allowing for personal wins earlier in the season were their favorite to play.

According to senior Addie Burns, “I liked playing Rocori because it was a really challenging match, and it was super close, and we won.”

Captain Emily Crandall also enjoyed her match against Rocori, stating, “…we came back from a 1-4 deficit and came to win it…and got CLC player of the week.”

Such challenges the players faced this year only brought the team together more strongly. When down a set or in a stressful situation on the court, the girls knew how to lift each other’s spirits in a variety of ways.

Emily Crandall explains how she and doubles partner Tia Leen worked through challenges on the court this year: “Whenever we realize we’re struggling, we need to just jump, and smile, and give each other a thumbs-up just to like, lighten the mood and help us get out of our heads.” 

Captain Violet Steil says that she and Burns “try not to get into a super negative mindset, and we smile at each other, and we talk to each other, and we racket-high-five between every point.”

This bond the partners share goes beyond just tennis, as Steil mentions, “We have been friends since we were very little, and it’s very fun getting to play a sport together.”

Senior Morgan Gefre explains that for her and partner Greta Crandall, “We just keep it short and sweet. We have our ritual, which is tapping our rackets before every point and if one of us is really struggling, we’re just like, ‘Here we go, you got it, let’s go.’”

Joking around and laughing is another strategy the girls use to keep their heads up in a tense game.

Gefre adds, “Sometimes we try to keep it lighthearted and say stuff like, yesterday I was saying, ‘Let’s get this bread.’ Sometimes we say quietly and respectfully to the other opponent, ‘Get wrecked’ after we win a really good point, haha.” 

Kelsey Kinville, voted favorite senior by the underclassmen, also recounts how she and her partner used humor to keep their hopes up in a tough match. “We dabbed each other up…[it was] powerful.” 

In short, the chemistry the girls have this season is undeniable. 

When asked about the team’s biggest improvement this year, Coach Crandall emphasized the strong team bonds: “I feel like everybody was really rooting more for each other this time as opposed to worrying about themselves…having that team effort, going for the same common goal, trying to win as a team, was better this year than we’ve seen in the past.”

For Emily Crandall and Gefre, these friendships are the best part about tennis. 

“We are one collective team, there’s no cliques or groups in it, and we all enjoy each other’s presence and all have fun with each other,” says Crandall. 

Gefre adds, “My favorite part about tennis is hanging out with the tennis girls…I love our bus ride chats.”

When asked for one lesson they would have for the younger girls or newcomers to the sport, the seniors served up some words of wisdom: 

“Enjoy it as much as you can, because it does go by fast. And you can work hard when it matters and you’re doing drills, but don’t forget to also have fun playing,” says Emily.

“It’s okay to lose, you can’t let it ruin your life,” Steil adds.

Burns advises, “Doubles is way more fun than singles.”

This tennis season was a whirlwind. Beginning in mid-August and ending in October, there isn’t a lot of time to sit and dwell on it. 

Yet looking back, one can confidently say this year brought not only some of the most competitive matches girls tennis has had in a long while, but brought the girls themselves closer than ever as friends and valued teammates. 

Finally, when asked about her biggest takeaway from this season, Kinville voices a powerful message: “I’m more capable than I think.”

For more information and stats on the 2022 Sartell girls’ tennis season, visit:

• Instagram @SartellGirlsTennis
• Twitter @TennisSartell