The Waseca girls tennis team hosted a three-team invitational on Saturday, coming away with a split after edging LeSueur-Henderson 4-3 before falling 5-2 to Blue Earth Area.
Waseca’s win over LeSueur-Henderson came on the strength of a dominant singles sweep. Vivian Mader set the tone at the top spot with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout. Ava Miller followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2, while Pearl Moore (6-4, 6-3) and Layla Keith (6-4, 6-0) closed out victories at the third and fourth spots.
The Giants answered back in doubles, winning all three courts, including a back-and-forth battle at No. 2 where Waseca’s Hannah Rugger and Anna Benson pushed the match to a third-set super tiebreak before falling 13-11.
Blue Earth Area went on to sweep the invite, handing Waseca its only loss of the day. The Bluejays earned singles wins from Mader and Keith, but the Bucs controlled the rest of the lineup. Mader knocked off Grace Hanson 6-1, 3-0 before Hanson retired, while Keith battled to a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4. Blue Earth’s depth proved too much, as the Bucs swept all three doubles courts to seal the 5-2 decision.
With the split, Waseca moved to 6-5 on the season. The Bluejays will be back on the courts Monday at 4:30 p.m. to finish their suspended match with Lake City. The Tigers currently hold a 3-1 lead, with play still underway at No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles, and No. 1 doubles.