The Waseca girls’ tennis team survived a tight battle Thursday, defeating United South Central 4-3 in a Section 1A quarterfinal match played in Waseca.
The No. 4 seed Bluejays stormed out to a 3-0 lead behind singles wins from Pearl Moore and Layla Keith, along with a sweep at No. 1 doubles by Paige Dufault and Ava Miller. The Rebels clawed back with victories at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles to close the gap, leaving the outcome to be decided by the No. 2 doubles match.
That’s where Waseca’s Hannah Rugger and Anna Benson delivered, holding off USC’s Julianna Clore and Kylee Koziolek in three sets, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, to clinch the match.
Singles
No. 1 – Ivy O'Rourke (USC) def. Vivian Mader (Waseca), 1-6, 7-5, 2-4 (ret.)
No. 2 – Olivia Bungum (USC) def. Maddy Benson (Waseca), 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 – Pearl Moore (Waseca) def. Claire Schimek (USC), 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 – Layla Keith (Waseca) def. Brooke Huper (USC), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 – Paige Dufault / Ava Miller (Waseca) def. Caitlin Rheingans / Elise Hansen (USC), 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 – Hannah Rugger / Anna Benson (Waseca) def. Julianna Clore / Kylee Koziolek (USC), 6-0, 4-6, 6-4
No. 3 – Gretchen Bungum / Tori Stevermer (USC) def. Chloe Hagen / Madison Rasche (Waseca), 7-5, 7-5
With the win, Waseca improved to 10-8 overall and advanced to the Section 1A semifinals. The Bluejays will face No. 1 seed Lake City at 8 a.m. Monday at the Rochester Athletic Club. No. 2 Cannon Falls and No. 3 Red Wing will meet in the other semifinal at 9:30 a.m. The section championship is scheduled to follow later that day.