GIRLS TENNIS

Humble above all else, Kyle Fodness nets Pioneer Sportsperson of the Year

Jared Rubado — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 12:00:00 GMT

On the morning of the Class AA State Girls Tennis Tournament, Bemidji head coach Kyle Fodness took his team out for breakfast.

He directed the Lumberjacks to Tony’s Diner on a brisk day in Minneapolis. As they walked to the local eatery, a few of the players looked back at Fodness and assistant coach Pat McNallan.

“A few of them said to us, ‘How far is this walk? We’ve been walking forever,’” Fodness recalled.

McNallan quipped back to the girls and said, “It’s about 8, maybe 9 miles away.”

While the Jacks were convinced they trekked a third of a marathon to their destination, Fodness and McNallan sat back and laughed.

Tony’s Diner was less than a mile away from Bemidji’s hotel.

“I remember hearing the girls say to their parents, ‘We had to walk for miles to get there this morning,” Fodness continued. “Pat and I just laughed and laughed. They were trying to tell their parents we made them walk all that way for breakfast. Just a funny little prank from a really fun season.”

Fondness said he catches himself thinking back to the “thousands of moments like that” from last fall. He attributes those memories to a group bonded by their ability to keep things light.

The Jacks went 26-0 in the regular season and the Section 8AA Tournament en route to Bemidji High ��’s first team section title since 2021.

Like most coaches do come a season’s end, Fondness began his offseason routine. However, his process is a little different.

Once the Lumberjacks hung up their rackets for the winter, Fodness kept his out. He shifts his approach to the Bemidji State women’s tennis team, where he also serves as head coach.

When the snow melts in the spring, Fodness grips his racket even tighter, serving as the head coach for the BHS boys tennis team as well.

Three programs. Two schools. One head coach.

Installed in 2020, the Pioneer Sportsperson of the Year recognition is meant to annually recognize a sports figure who significantly went above and beyond within the Bemidji community’s sports scene.

Aside from the dozens of wins, triumphant moments and breakfast-walking memories he made along the way in 2024, Fodness’ willingness to give his time to the people around him is why he is the fifth winner of the Pioneer’s Sportsperson of the Year.

Following footsteps

It doesn’t take long in a conversation with Fodness for him to name-drop one of his life’s biggest influences.

His father, Mark, coached tennis in Bemidji for 41 seasons. He accumulated over 400 wins between the two BHS teams and the women’s program at BSU.

Mark was also a beloved and widely respected teacher at Bemidji Middle ��. The New Ulm native graduated from Bemidji State in 1982 with a degree in social sciences before earning his master’s in curriculum instruction and middle school emphasis from the local university in 1995.

In 2019 Mark retired, handing over the tennis programs to his son. His final season as a head coach was in the spring of 2020, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Six months later, Mark died suddenly of a heart attack at 61 years old.

“You don’t get to pick what lessons are put in your lap,” Fodness said. “That’s awful to hear as an athlete or a coach because of the amount of preparation you put in. That ball is going to bounce how it bounces, and you don’t have control over that. But what lessons are you going to learn from it? It doesn’t mean you want to learn it, but there’s always a lesson, even if you don’t learn it right away.”

Fodness didn’t just lose his dad. He lost a mentor and a best friend. But since his dad’s passing, Fodness has taken his unexpected lessons — big and small — in stride, molding him into the coach and the teacher he is today.

He does it while channeling the memories of his late father.

“The amount of times I catch myself thinking back to something my dad used to tell me, then thinking, ‘Gosh, he was right again. How was he always right?’ It’s a lot,” Fodness said. “It would drive me nuts as a kid. But I enjoy those memories, and if I’m even half or a quarter as good as my dad was in those situations, I’ll be pretty great at whatever I’m doing in life.”

Making time

Serving as the head coach for three programs requires a lot of hours.

On top of his roles in BHS and BSU athletics, Fodness also hosts a bevy of summer sessions for local tennis players.

“I like staying busy,” Fodness quipped. “I certainly love doing it. The thought of walking away from any of those teams, I can’t even imagine that. I think I’d say that for the next 50 years. There are days when it’s tough, days when I wish I could focus on one thing more — whether for tennis or for school — but I get to be part of really great groups, and I love it.”

Six months after his dad died, Fodness won his first section title as a head coach with the 2021 BHS boys. He won his second the following school year with the BHS girls in the fall.

He had to wait a few years before notching his third section title, but a driven group of girls led him to his third championship on Oct. 12, and they did it in undefeated fashion.

“It was a blast,” Fodness said. “All seasons are a blast, but it was weird how much fun that season was. I’d have people coming up to me saying the same thing, noticing how much fun the girls and us coaches had. It was hard work, but that’s what it is at its best. It was a good culmination of fun, hard work and just an incredible group of people involved.”

Unsurprisingly, Fodness refuses to take any more of the credit than he feels he deserves for reaching the state tournament.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” Fodness continued. “If there’s one attribute I have that I would say is really good for me as a coach it’s that I know I don’t know anything. I’m well aware of it. I think it’s important to have humility within yourself because then you’re never afraid to lean on other people or ask those around you for help.”

Sometimes, though, others look to Fodness for help.

In July 2023, Fodness volunteered to help residents move out of the Red Pine Estates after the city ordered an evacuation. In January 2024, Fodness could be seen at a Bemidji Area �� Board of Education meeting with his teaching peers, rallying for better pay for local educators.

However, in Fodness’ eyes, he’s just trying to match the efforts of his counterparts.

“If I quit coaching, it would take me 25 years to do the things that other teachers and faculty do for the community and their peers,” Fodness said. “I feel really fortunate that I can do a little bit of what they do. As soon as I start feeling pretty good about myself, I look around at the people next to me and realize that I need to keep going to try and match what they do.”

Fodness also noted the efforts it takes to run an athletic department, both at BHS and BSU. He compared his local efforts to going out for a run, saying it’s easier to keep pushing himself further when those around him set the pace.

“When you see them giving their time to 8,000 different things in a week, it’s pretty remarkable,” Fodness added. “You look at the coaches and Britt (Lauritsen) at BSU — all of the people in the athletic department — you look at all of the people at the high school who do so much, then there’s me who can make it to one or two things. It’s nothing in comparison to them.”

For the kids

Coaching various ages and skill levels somewhat simultaneously poses challenges for any person at the helm. However, teams coached by Fodness share at least one consistency: the aim to have fun.

“There are certain things that stay consistent, no matter the sport,” Fodness said. “Whether it’s been soccer, basketball, football, coaching or teaching seventh grade, the big thing is you want to have fun every day you want to get better every day. In my classroom, the rule is that you and I are going to learn a little every day, and we’re going to have fun doing it.”

He takes the same approach on the tennis court.

“You do different things to accomplish that depending on if you’re at the high school or the college level, but you’re still trying to enjoy yourself and get better while doing it,” Fodness continued. “The methods change, and that’s the easier thing to figure out. But the goal every week is for the players to feel like they got better and enjoy doing it.”

Making his transition from an athlete to a coach has also helped forge his big-picture perspective as a coach.

“I’ve really learned how to laugh at myself, and that makes it more fun,” Fodness said. “Sometimes, you just have to recognize that things are going badly. You can say, ‘Well, that was terrible. I mean, that was truly awful.’ But you can also follow that up by saying, ‘I’m never going to play worse than that.’ The same goes for coaching, and to have success in the long term, you have to have a little bit of that ability to laugh at yourself.”

Fodness will likely experience more deep postseason runs before his time with the Bemidji tennis programs ends. He will likely get more chances to laugh at himself in his low coaching moments.

But ultimately, Fodness wants to be known for something more.

He recalls childhood moments walking through retail stores with his dad. He’d see his former students approach him, shedding praise on the tenured teacher for the impact he made on them in the classroom.

“If you make a mistake that comes from a decision that you thought was in the best interest of the students, you can sleep at night,” Fodness said. “I don’t know if I could’ve had more fun or made more money doing something other than this, but if you go with teaching and coaching, you can put your head down at night knowing you could’ve done worse things in life.”

Previous Sportsperson of the Year winners

2023: Mia Hoffmann, BHS distance athlete 2022: Taryn Frazer, Cass Lake-Bena girls basketball player 2021: Chelsea (DeVille) Stoltenberg, BSU women's basketball head coach 2020: Troy Hendricks, BHS activities director]]>

Kyle Fodness, Pat McNallan honored as Section 8AA Coaches of the Year

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 18:08:54 GMT

BEMIDJI – It was a fruitful fall for the Bemidji High �� girls tennis team.

The Lumberjacks took a 26-0 record to the state tournament and sent one doubles team to the Class AA state individual bracket as well.

The accolades keep coming.

Kyle Fodness was named the Section 8AA Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association. The same organization named Pat McNallan Assistant Coach of the Year.

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Elena Peterson, Megan Berg’s state doubles run ends in quarterfinals

Jared Rubado — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:12:21 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS – Megan Berg and Elena Peterson were the last Lumberjacks standing in the Bemidji High �� girls tennis season.

The Section 8AA double champions opened their state tournament run against Eden Prairie’s Zadie Walvante and Sravika Vadrevu. The match went the distance, with Berg and Peterson picking up the win in three sets.

“You’re looking at the 16 best doubles teams in the state of Minnesota, effectively, so to get a win in the main draw is awesome,” head coach Kyle Fodness said. “Megan and Elena played tremendous doubles tennis – tactically and strategically. They made such a difference in how they moved and how they positioned themselves.”

Peterson and Berg dropped the first set 6-3 before rebounding to a 6-3 win in the second set. The BHS duo then took a 5-2 lead in the third set.

“Eden Prairie came back and won the next two games to make it 5-4,” Fodness said. “Elena’s going over to serve, and Megan noticed one of the Eden Prairie girls was hitting this nice chip toward the middle of the court, and it was really hard for us to deal with. … Megan made an adjustment poaching that across the middle and taking the point away.”

With the Jacks one point away from advancing to the quarterfinals, Berg exemplified her tactical approach.

“On match point, the question was, ‘Is the Eden Prairie girl going to do it (again)?’” Fodness continued. “Are you going to be passive or aggressive in that situation? Before Elena served, Megan took two steps away from the middle. A lot of people would think she’s going to be passive. Coach McNallan and I looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, here she goes.’ She made the decision to be aggressive.”

Berg secured the winning point to push the Lumberjacks to the round of eight. However, Berg and Peterson ran into top-seeded Malea Diehn and Keely Ryder from Rochester Mayo, losing 6-1, 6-1 to end their season.

The individual portion came two days after Bemidji competed in the team tournament on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks lost a first-round match against No. 3 Mounds View 6-1 before falling 4-3 to East Ridge in the consolation bracket.

“When you come down to state, sometimes you see the other side of sports,” Fodness said. “The girls noticed that a fair amount of players on a fair amount of teams, who spend a ton of money and time on it, really don’t enjoy it. If you’re around sports enough, you know that can be true. I think what I was the most happy with was we played really well and had great communication, but they also had a ton of fun. They represented Bemidji well.”

Fodness attests that his team had an unforgettable week at the Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. It’s an experience that mirrored how Bemidji approached the entirety of its 2024 season.

“High standards can really result in great outcomes,” Fodness said. “They set really high standards for themselves. The team’s goal was to be the best team, meaning competing as hard as you can, better communication and not losing in the class department. We’re going to be classier and more vocal, we’re going to support each other with the most amount of positivity. I don’t know if we were ever beat in that regard. We were undefeated.”

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Lumberjacks’ stellar season finally comes to close at state tournament

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:39:18 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS – In its 2024 campaign, the Bemidji High �� girls tennis team earned an undefeated 23-0 regular season record and tacked on three more wins to capture the Section 8AA Championship for the first time since 2021.

Tuesday evening, the Lumberjacks’ stellar season finally came to a close.

The Jacks suffered a 6-1 loss to third-seeded Mounds View in the first round of the Class AA state tournament.

Bemidji’s sole victory against the Mustangs came in No. 1 doubles, where Megan Berg and Elena Peterson defeated Shae Crockarell and Stella Fagerlee in three sets.

In the consolation bracket, Bemidji lost a close 4-3 match to East Ridge.

Liz Peterson and Bailey Rupp picked up two-set wins in No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively. The Lumberjacks’ third point of the match came courtesy of Millie Knott and Zoe McNallan in No. 3 doubles.

Mounds View 6, Bemidji 1

Singles

No. 1: Ro. Wahlstrand (MV) def. L. Peterson 6-0, 6-0

No. 2: Re. Wahlstrand (MV) def. Caron 6-0, 6-0

No. 3: Schifsky (MV) def. Rupp 7-5, 7-7

No. 4: Bhaskar (MV) def. McNallan 6-0, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1: Berg/E. Peterson (BHS) def. Crockarell/Fagerlee 6-4, 1-6, 6-1

No. 2: Dox/Kostinovski (MV) def. Wood/McKeon 6-1, 6-4

No. 3: Dove/Halverson (MV) def. Myhre/Knott 6-2, 6-2

East Ridge 4, Bemidji 3

Singles

No. 1: Heideman (ER) def. E. Peterson 6-0, 6-3

No. 2: L. Peterson (BHS) def. Benjamin 6-4, 6-2

No. 3: Simone (ER) def. Caron 6-2, 6-3

No. 4: Rupp (BHS) def. Maddukuri 6-1, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1: Vander Linden/Velasquez (ER) def. Wood/Berg 6-3, 3-6, 10-5

No. 2: Sandberg/Tracy (ER) def. McKeon/Myhre 6-3, 6-4

No. 3: McNallan/Knott (BHS) def. Osuna/Hoopes 4-6, 6-0, 10-5

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Focused on the journey, Lumberjacks keep spirits high heading into state tournament

Jared Rubado — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 11:00:00 GMT

BEMIDJI – Elena Peterson has been there and done that for the Bemidji High �� girls tennis team. Zoe McNallan, however, has not.

Peterson, a senior, is one of the Lumberjacks’ top players. She’s an individual section champion, but the fate of her final team season was, to some extent, put on McNallan’s shoulders… twice.

The sophomore was slotted in at No. 4 singles in the Section 8AA semifinal match against St. Cloud Tech. She dispatched her first opponent in straight sets to clinch Bemidji’s fourth point and a spot in the 8AA title.

With only Brainerd left to beat, McNallan moved to No. 3 doubles with Millie Knott. All Peterson could do was watch as McNallan was in another spot to clinch a team victory.

“I was one of the last matches to go out,” Peterson said. “For me, I wasn’t super stressed when it was time for me to play. I was pretty relaxed.”

“I definitely wasn’t relaxed,” McNallan quipped in response to Peterson.

McNallan has been one of the rotating depth figures for the Jacks this fall. Some days she’d play a varsity match, while other days were filled with exhibitions. But a late-season injury made her lineup presence more permanent.

“We knew that we had more than 10 good varsity players this year,” head coach Kyle Fodness said. “We told them that they always have to be ready. Morgan Nyhusmoen goes down with an injury against Pequot Lakes, and Zoe steps in there. She had been ready all year for that opportunity. … There wasn’t really an acclimatization period, she was just ready to play.”

McNallan and Knott trailed in the opening set. Then they put their foot on the gas.

“I started down in both (matches),” McNallan said. “With Millie, we started bad. We were down 5-2 and came back to win 7-6. I didn’t know the other scores, I didn’t see everybody winning. We just thought we had to get this win to keep going.”

“I kept watching her court,” Peterson said. “Against Brainerd the first time, we had a singles sweep. I thought it would be amazing if we could get a doubles win this time. I knew that her and Millie could pull it out.”

Peterson got what she wanted. McNallan and Knott pulled out a 7-6, 6-2 win to claim the first BHS team section championship since 2021.

“That was a team they lost to earlier in the year,” Fodness said. “Both Millie and Zoe are dedicated athletes, competitive athletes. They thought they missed an opportunity in our home match (against Brainerd). They said, ‘Let's go play how we can play and see what happens.’ That took some pressure off of them, and they did a great job in that match.”

Then, the celebration commenced.

“It’s super exciting, we have such a fun team,” Peterson said. “(Going to state) is going to be a really cool thing we can all do together. … I feel like everyone is just so close on this team. We’re all friends outside of tennis. The most exciting part is just playing with each other, it’s not even winning.”

BHS is one of the three unseeded teams at the Class AA State Tournament. The Lumberjacks will take on No. 3 Mounds View at 2 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

“This is my first time going to state,” McNallan said. “I’m happy to get another bus trip together because the bus trips are fun. … Everybody on this team is so welcoming. They’re all super good friends to have, and I’m happy I’m part of it.”

Bemidji players and coaches weren’t surprised to be unseeded on Thursday, despite having a perfect 26-0 record. That’s because the idea of being undefeated has taken a back seat.

But the idea of preserving it still lingers.

“Everybody has it in the back of their mind,” Peterson said. “How do you not? But we just go out there taking it in as a new day with a new match. There’s so much positive energy the girls bring. You’re just going out there and playing with your best friends, and I feel like that’s what we focus on more than the wins.”

Peterson added that when a team becomes record-focused, it adds stress to the development throughout the season.

“You don’t want to go into a match thinking about upholding an undefeated record,” she continued. “When we go in relaxed, like we’re playing another game, it benefits us. … No one expected our season to go the way that it did. We’re just going to go in, play our best like we have all season. There’s a little bit of an underdog mentality, and we’re going to have fun with it.”

Fodness has witnessed two of his teams win section titles before last Friday. The BHS boys climbed atop 8AA in the spring of 2021. His girls team did it later that fall – the last Bemidji team to win a section championship before this season.

“Every group is different,” Fodness said. “They’re different groups of kids with different smiles and celebrations. As a coaching staff, we were happy the team won, but our happiest moment was seeing them celebrate and all of their smiles. Any time somebody’s asked us about our team this year, we say the same thing: this is a fantastic group of student-athletes and we’re happy to be along for the ride.”

Fodness wants to see his team go down to the University of Minnesota and “let it rip” against the best teams in the state. Peterson and Megan Berg will also take on Eden Prairie’s Zadie Walvante and Sravika Vadrevu in the opening round of the individual doubles state tournament at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24.

“State is the cherry on top of our season,” Peterson said. “It’s going to be so fun playing against that really good competition, hard competition. It’s just one last hoorah with this amazing team.”

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Lumberjacks’ Megan Berg, Elena Peterson crowned Section 8AA doubles champions

Pioneer Staff Report — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 01:24:02 GMT

After winning the Section 8AA Team Tournament Championship yesterday, the Bemidji High �� girls tennis team added some more hardware to its weekend collection – this time, in the individual portion.

Megan Berg and Elena Peterson captured the Section 8AA doubles crown Saturday afternoon, defeating Fergus Falls’ Ashtyn Lill and Hattie Fullhart 7-5, 6-4 in the finals.

Berg and Peterson kicked off the run by beating Gretta Crandall and Caitlyn Burns of Sartell 6-2, 6-3. In the semifinals, they defeated Brainerd’s Erika Folden and Kamryn Kraemer 6-3, 6-2.

Lilly Caron and Sam Wood also had a solid showing in the individual doubles tournament, pairing up to take fourth place.

The duo won their first match against Annandale’s Felicity Fischer and Claire Lampi in two sets (7-6, 6-3) before losing to Lill and Fullhart (6-2, 6-0) in the second round. Wood and Caron lost their consolation match to Folden and Kraemer 6-2, 6-4.

Bailey Rupp also earned a fourth-place finish for Bemidji, but on the singles side. She bested Ella Rassier from Annandale in three sets (6-4, 3-6 and 6-1) to open the tournament, but was knocked out in the following round by St. Cloud Tech’s Paige Tarrolly (6-1, 6-1). Rupp went on to lose to Ruby Ellison of Fergus Falls 6-4, 6-2 in the consolation bracket.

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Unbeaten Lumberjacks defeat Brainerd to capture Section 8AA Championship

Alex Faber — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 06:29:02 GMT

SARTELL – For the first time in three years, a Bemidji High �� team has captured a section championship.

After beating St. Cloud Tech 4-3 in the semifinals, the BHS girls tennis team bested Brainerd 5-2 to win the Section 8AA title and advance to the state tournament.

It’s the first section title for the program since 2021, which is also the last section title for any Lumberjack team.

“It’s a program victory, but it’s also a Lumberjack victory – it’s all kind of connected,” head coach Kyle Fodness said. “Everybody can be really proud of this group. ... They (competed) hard like they have all year and sometimes the chips fall your way, and they did today.”

With the unbeaten regular season streak carrying over into the section tournament, Bemidji has 26-straight wins heading into state.

“Not to be cliche, but for them, I really think they’re most excited that they get to take one more bus trip,” Fodness said.

Though there were great performances throughout the lineup, both of Zoe McNallan’s matches on Friday turned out to be essential.

She secured a two-set win in No. 4 singles to start the day, then swapped over to No. 3 doubles alongside Mille Knott for yet another two-set victory.

“Everybody plays a big role in a victory, of course, no point counts for more than one,” Fodness said. “But Zoe was our clinching win against St. Cloud Tech and then she flipped over into doubles with Mille, and they were the clinching points against Brainerd.”

Bailey Rupp also had a great showing, earning a win in No. 3 singles against St. Cloud Tech and No. 4 singles against Brainerd.

After losing in the previous match in No. 2 singles, Lilly Caron rebounded with a big singles win for the Jacks in No. 3 singles against the Warriors.

“Lilly delivered a really key win against Brainerd and she’d be the first person to tell you that she didn’t play her favorite match of the year against Tech,” Fodness said. “You can take a little momentum from your teammates and I think a great example of that was Lilly. She really was a catalyst in kind of getting us started and getting us going, and that’s a credit to her but also credit to her teammates for picking her up and giving her a chance to go back out there and win a really big match in the section final.”

Elena and Liz Peterson earned wins against Brainerd in No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively, to complete a sweep of the singles matches against the Warriors.

Against St. Cloud Tech, McNallan and Rupp delivered two of Bemidji’s points in singles. The Jacks’ other two points came courtesy of a couple of duos: Ruby McKeon and Sam Wood at No. 2 doubles and Ava Myhre and Knott at No. 3.

“I think the thing we were most happy with was, oddly enough, probably not the result,” Fodness said. “We really talked about (controlling) what you can control, and you can't control everything that's going to happen in the court – you can control your attitude.

“So I think that was the thing we were really happy with from the start of the match all the way to the end. … They communicated just like they always do, and they had fun just like they always do, and they just saw there was another good opportunity to play good tennis with their friends. And it happened to be in the section final and semifinal today.”

Bemidji 4, St. Cloud Tech 3

Singles

No. 1: DNF

No. 2: Streit (SCT) def. Caron 6-0, 6-3

No. 3: Rupp (BHS) def. Cai 6-2, 6-0

No. 4: McNallan (BHS) def. Erickson 6-4, 6-3

Doubles

No. 1: DNF

No. 2: Wood/McKeon (BHS) def. Backes/Pfeiffer 6-3, 6-2

No. 3: Myhre/Knott (BHS) def. Schneider/Newbauer 6-3, 6-4

Bemidji 5, Brainerd 2

Singles

No. 1: E. Peterson (BHS) def. Mulholland 6-2, 6-2

No. 2: L. Peterson (BHS) def. Cole 6-0, 7-5

No. 3: Caron (BHS) def. Mithun 6-1, 6-4

No. 4: Rupp (BHS) def. Knoepke 6-0, 6-2

Doubles

No. 1: Folden/Kraemer (BRD) def. Wood/Berg 6-3, 6-3

No. 2: L. Soukup/R. Soukup (BRD) def. McKeon/Myhre 6-2, 6-0

No. 3: McNallan/Knott (BHS) def. Glynn/Grillo 7-6, 6-2

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5 Lumberjacks punch tickets to Section 8AA individual finals

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:40:41 GMT

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Bemidji High �� girls tennis team keeps rolling, even away from group competition.

Six Lumberjacks competed in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday in the Section 8AA North Tournament, with five of them advancing to the finals.

Two BHS doubles teams competed against each other in the sub-section doubles bracket.

Sam Wood and Lilly Caron beat Fergus Falls’ Carsyn and Dillyn Lill in the opening round in three sets before beating Little Falls’ Brooke and Olivia Litke 6-2, 6-2. Wood and Caron took down top-seeded Ashtyn Lill and Hattie Fullhart in three sets to clinch a spot in the title match.

At the bottom of the bracket, Elena Peterson and Megan Berg made quick work of Olivia Dreessen and Kylie Markuson of Moorhead with a 6-0, 6-0 win. Peterson and Berg then beat Brainerd’s Rebekah Soukup and Jessica Cole in three sets before rolling past Brainerd’s Ericah Folden and Kamryn Kraemer 6-3, 6-0.

In the title match, Peterson and Berg took down Wood and Caron 6-2, 6-3. Both teams earned spots in the Section 8AA doubles final bracket.

On the singles side, Bailey Rupp made a run to a second-place finish. She dispatched third-seeded Brooke Mulholland of Brained 6-3, 6-0 before knocking off Little Falls’ Natalie Graeve in straight sets. She then beat No. 2 seed Madi Anderson 6-3, 6-1 before falling to top-seeded Ruby Ellison of Fergus Falls in straight sets.

Liz Peterson was Bemidji’s other solo competitor. She took down Detroit Lakes’ Isabelle Wolf 6-1, 6-1 before losing to No. 4 Addison Stevenson 6-3, 7-6.

Elena Peterson and Berg earned the North’s top seed and will take on Sartell’s Greta Crandall and Caitlyn Burns on Oct. 12 in the doubles final bracket. Wood and Caron are the No. 2 seed out of the North and will play against Annandale’s Felicity Fischer. Bailey Rupp is also a No. 2 seed and will take on Annandale’s Elle Rassier.

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Lumberjacks stay unbeaten, defeat Alexandria to advance to section semifinals

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 03:04:43 GMT

GRAND FORKS – The Bemidji High �� girls tennis team’s undefeated streak has officially extended into the postseason.

After earning a first-round bye thanks to a 23-0 regular season, the Lumberjacks kept the wins coming Thursday evening by defeating Alexandria 4-3 and advancing to the semifinals of the Section 8AA tournament.

Three of the Jacks’ four wins came in singles. Lilly Caron picked up a crucial victory in No. 3 singles, taking down Sam Whaley in a three-set thriller to help propel BHS to the next round of the tournament.

Liz Peterson bested Kennedy Stevenson in No. 2 singles with two 6-1 sets and Bailey Rupp topped Bentley Kriel in two sets for the win at No. 4.

Bemidji’s only doubles win of the afternoon came courtesy of Sam Wood and Megan Berg in No. 1 doubles. After winning the first set 6-0, the duo edged out Cadence Simon and Carleigh Lueck with a 7-5 victory in the second.

The section semifinals will take place on Oct. 11 in Sartell.

Bemidji 4, Alexandria 3

Singles

No. 1: A. Stevenson (ALX) def. E. Peterson 6-2, 7-6

No. 2: L. Peterson (BHS) def. K. Stevenson 6-1, 6-1

No. 3: Caron (BHS) def. Whaley 6-3, 5-7, 7-5

No. 4: Rupp (BHS) def. Kriel 6-0, 6-2

Doubles

No. 1: Wood/Berg (BHS) def. Simon/Lueck 6-0, 7-5

No. 2: Odland/Witte (ALX) def. Myhre/McKeon 3-6, 6-2, 6-0

No. 3: Mohr/Thiery (ALX) def. Knott/McNallan6-4, 1-6, 6-4

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‘It’s a program victory:’ Lumberjacks defeat Brainerd to clinch undefeated regular season

Alex Faber — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 03:20:08 GMT

BEMIDJI – Kyle Fodness has spent the 23-match Bemidji High �� girls tennis season focused almost exclusively on the self-improvement of his players, getting better set-by-set and match-by-match.

But after an undefeated 23-0 regular season and a short break before the Section 8 AA Tournament kicks off, the girls have an opportunity to reflect on what has been a historic year.

“We’ve said every time whether we’re winning or losing as a program through the years, we’re not a results-based program, (we’re) process-based, get better, grow, be better in all those aspects as you play,” Fodness said. “You can also appreciate the fact that you celebrate your accomplishments, celebrate the accomplishments of your team – and (this is) really cool accomplishment.”

The program’s last undefeated regular season came back in 2012.

That group of Lumberjacks finished the season 14-1, ending the season with a loss to St. Cloud Tech in the section final.

“It’s definitely not an accomplishment of just this year’s team,” Fodness said. “It’s a program victory not specific to one year, and I think the girls would say that too. They’re very thankful for the girls who came before and established good tradition, good culture. We want to carry that on.”

Thursday’s evening’s regular-season finale provided quite the test for the Lumberjacks, who had to battle a stout group to earn their unblemished record.

Their opponent, Brainerd, entered the Thursday evening matchup with a 15-1 record as one of the best teams in Section 8AA

“Whatever team Garrett Goeden coaches is going to be well coached,” Fodness said. “They’re a well-coached group, they’ve been improving throughout the season. You always want to play teams that bring out your best.”

In a closely contested match, Bemidji swept all four singles matches to earn a 4-3 victory over the Warriors and wrap up one of the best seasons in program history.

“I (don’t) think that we thought it was going to go this well,” senior captain Elena Peterson said. “We were pretty confident we had a strong lineup of girls and we have so many returning girls from last season, we only graduated two seniors from our varsity lineup last year. … But I don't think we expected things to roll this well.”

Peterson led the way in singles, earning a two-set win at No.1 against Brooke Malholland. Her sister, Liz, bested Jessica Cole in No. 2 singles in two sets.

Lilly Caron and Bailey Rupp rounded out singles with wins at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

“It’s definitely boosted some confidence for some girls who were kind of shaky about the spots they were going into,” Peterson said. “Everybody’s been kind of on an upward momentum, so that’s been super fun throughout the season.”

Though Bemidij didn’t nab a win in doubles, two of the three doubles matches were three-set barnburners.

A hard-fought win against such a talented opponent was a fitting way to cap off the regular season, providing one last in-game opportunity for the Jacks to improve before the postseason arrives.

“Everyone has that record in the back of their mind, because how do you not?” said junior Megan Berg, who competed in No. 1 doubles alongside Sam Wood against Brainerd. “Everyone’s going out there to improve and to play their best match. At the end of the day, (if) we win, we win. (If) we lose, we lose. But it’s really about self improvement more than keeping that whatever-and-0 record.”

After a brief weekend reprieve, the Lumberjacks will hop right back onto the court next week for tournament play. The Section 8AA bracket has not been unveiled.

Thursday’s win over Brainerd all but ensures a No.1 seed for Bemidji in the 8AA North sub-section, a fitting reward for the lack of tallies in the loss column.

But from here on out, it’s win or go home.

“They’re a hungry group because there’s another opportunity in front of them,” Fodness said. “As long as you give them another match, they’re going to work really hard for it, whether it’s a section match or state match or regular season match – if they have another match to play, they’re going to be hungry for it and want to play their best in it.”

Bemidji 4, Brainerd 3

Singles

No. 1: E. Peterson (BHS) def. Malholland 7-6, 6-1

No. 2: L. Peterson (BHS) def. Cole 7-5, 6-4

No. 3: Caron (BHS) def. Mithun 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

No. 4: Rupp (BHS) def. Knoepke 6-2, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1: Folden/Kramer (BRD) def. Wood/Berg 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

No. 2: R. Soukup/L. Soukup (BRD) def. Myhre/McKeon 6-1, 6-2

No. 3: Grillo/Glynn (BRD) def. Knott/McNallan 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

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