Led by seasoned veterans winning three championships at one and two singles along with one doubles, the Cards fought hard to a second place team finish in the Highway-10S tournament held in Brainerd.

Emma Koskiniemi and Maggie O’Keefe proved dominant in their three matches only losing five games.

“Maggie is taking ownership of her game and stepping up with every challenge not only against stronger opponents, but also in playing right with the caliber level of play of Emma,” said coach Kevin Coughlin.

Ninth grade Mikayla Wing executed every shot necessary on all parts of the court to down senior Hannah Bardwell from Stewartville in the fi- nal of the one singles flight.

“Mik defended well against a great hitter, but turned the point to offense with great depth and angles while finishing the point and her opponent at the net taking the ball in the air,” Coughlin noted. “That was a major difference in the match. We stress at this level to be able to finish points when the opportunity arises and Mik is stepping up to that challenge.”

Andrea Koskiniemi dominated at two singles dropping only five games in her three matches. “Andrea’s game has greatly matured on all levels and it is really paying off,” said the coach.

At three singles, Abby Smith finished the day 2-1 with a third place finish. “Abby is a great competitor and she is used to doing well, but we are on the journey of piecing her game together so she can experience what she is capable of doing at a high level,” Coughlin observed. “She is on board with that mission and is riding that roller coaster with joy despite not always ending up where she would ideally like to be all the time.”

At four singles, Kelsey Zetah took her game to a strong third place finish following a tough loss in the semi final.

“Z is really proving to be a versatile player with a great competitive focus. Like Abby, she is on a sharp learning curve that has been showing telling results from match to match,” said Coughlin.

The second doubles duo of Brooke Wolhowe and Annie Kautto also recovered from a semi final loss to claim third place.

“Brooke and Annie are a dynamic duo with the evolving skills to play one through three dubs all depending on how they move and adjust to opponent styles,” Coughlin remarked.

Hallie Olsen and Taylor Bissonette fell a bit short in their bid for a championship at three dubs in a third set tie breaker 4-6, 6-4, (7-10). “Coming back from a set down was huge and we were right there in the final tie break, but not enough went our way,” said Coughlin.

Grace Wolhowe and Julie Jackson finished in third place playing for

Wadena/Deer Creek who

was short a few players. “This clearly shows how

deep and strong we are, especially with all that youth,” Coughlin said.

Another third place finish went to the four doubles combo of Lindsay Johnson and Jenna Pogreba. Coughline noted “Like the rest of our team Lindsay and Po showed great character and resilience in bouncing back from a close defeat in the semi’s to finish strong fighting through a 5-7, 6-4, (10-4) battle.”

As a team the Cards finished four points back of section rival Osakis playing at full strength.

“This has been the first year in the last four that we have played at full strength and we came up short today. The team trophy is a symbol of team victory and it is traditionally filled with cookies as a treat for the victors. We were definitely aiming at the goodies, but instead of eating cookies, we got some humble pie,” Coughlin said. “ Because of our potential and character, we are good with that. Osakis is a solid team that we respect and this clearly shows that we have our work cut out for us. If we do this right, we will turn that work into play and have a great time in achieving what we are capable of.”

The Cards bounced back the next day to compete in another eight team tournament in Buffalo/Delano finishing in fourth place behind strong AA schools. Most positions went 1-2 on the day against very strong opponents.

“The tour nament proved to be much stronger than the Pine City Invite that has at least four state tournament qualifiers and the state A champion. We competed very well and got so much better,” Coughlin said. “I was pleasantly surprised to see how we played the day after a tournament following a blistering hot day Monday. This just shows our character and determination.”

The twin connection of Emma and Andrea Koskiniemi stole the spotlight by dominating at one doubles for a championship while Taylor Bissonette and Lindsay Johnson orchestrated fundamental doubles execution for a third place finish at four dubs.

“This was a giant leap in our thousand mile journey towards greatness,” Coughlin said. “It will be interesting to see how we keep developing with our growing confidence as it plays off of our growing skills.”