KARI GIBB/MDN Minot North seventh grader Julia Stoner chases a ball in round one of the individual play against Sydney Hall from Bismarck High on Friday.

Minot High tennis started their defense of the 2023 Western Dakota Association (WDA) champions at nine in the morning against Bismarck High and finished the final match against Bismarck Legacy well after midnight. The wait was worth it as the Majettes defeated the Sabers 4-1 to repeat as WDA champions and enter the 2024 NDHSAA State Girls Tennis Tournament as the top seeded team from the west. Legacy will be the second seed.

Minot High didn’t drop many sets in either the quarterfinal or the semifinal matches enroute to the final. As a team, they beat Bismarck High 5-0 and Bismarck Century 5-0 as well.

Representing Minot High at No. 1 singles was senior Sidney Ressler. She defeated Sydney Hall from Bismarck High 6-3, 6-4 in the quarters and Ava Dunlop from Century 6-2, 2-6 and 10-1 in the semifinal. By the end of the day, in the final, Legacy Aleah McPherson defeated Ressler 6-4, 6-1.

Sophomore Kyllie Fettig played at the No. 2 singles for the tournament. She defeated Elizabeth Schuh in the quarters 6-0, 6-0 and Kate Miller in the semifinals 6-0,6-0 as well. She faced Maria Barratt in the finals and recorded a 6-0, 6-1 win for the Majettes.

Senior Sienna Ronning played at the No. 3 singles for the day. She beat Alexandra Koch in the quarters 6-1, 6-0 and Kyla Jorgenson in the semifinals 6-0, 6-4 before hitting the finals. In the last match of the day, she beat Caylin Kraft 6-2, 6-1 for the win.

The dynamic sisters, sophomore Grace and junior Lila Olson represented Minot High at the No. 1 doubles for the tournament. They beat Crace Header and Grace Gross 6-2. 6-0 and then defeated Erika Lee and Mykaela Jorgenson 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal round. The Olsons faced Halle Severson and Casidee Jones in the final and posted 7-6 (5), 6-2 scores for the win.

Senior Reese Goodman and freshman Ava Thuner played No. 2 doubles for the day. They beat Sophia Koch and Maya Haider in the quarterfinal round 6-2, 6-0 and Kyra Stahl teamed with Hannah Dorreim in the semifinals 7-5, 6-1 enroute to the finals. The dynamic duo faced Cambrya Kraft and Brooklyn Sand in the last match, recording a 6-1, 6-2 win for the Majettes.

The team will prepare for the 2024 NDHSAA State Tournament which will be held May 30-June 1 at Grand Forks Choice Health & Fitness courts.

Day One – Recap of Individual Singles and Doubles play

Friday, May 24, began the qualifying process for individual singles and doubles at the WDA Tournament. It was a long night for the coaches as the seeding for both styles of play took place after the team tournament was over after midnight.

In the singles category, Ressler from Minot High was seeded at third and teammate Thuner was seeded at sixth for the day. Ressler would beat Kyra Stahl from Bismarck Century in round one. Thunder would defeat Abby Mullally of Bismarck St. Mary’s in the opening round.

Ressler would defeat Nicole Enno from WIlliston. Thunder would beat Hannah Dorrheim from Bismarck Century. The good news for Majettes Ressler and Thuner was that they advanced. The bad news was that they would next face each other in the quarterfinals. Thuner would take the match to advance to the semifinals today.

Minot High’s Goodman faced a familiar foe in sophomore Addy Clark from Minot North in the opening round with Goodman taking the win. Minot North seventh grader Julia Stoner faced the fourth seeded Sydney Hall from Bismarck High and lost the round one match.

Clark and Stoner would face each other in the consolation bracket with Clark winning.

The top seed for the singles was Mandan Sophia Felderman while Williston Avy Ator was the second seed for the bracket.

Seeded at third, Minot High’s Fettig and Ronning had a round one bye and defeated Brooklyn Sand and Maria Barrett from Bismarck Legacy in round two. They will face Kate Miller and Mykaela Jorgensen from Century in the quarterfinals.

The fifth seeded doubles team was Majettes sisters Grace and Lila who enjoyed a round one bye and defeated Alexandra and Sophia Koch from Bismarck High 6-2, 6-1 in round two and will face Erika Lee and Aava Dunlop from Century in the quarterfinals as well today.

Other local teams that lost in round one and will have to play through the consolation bracket for a shot at qualifying for state were sophomore Leiah Rojas and eighth grader Alyviah Kopp from Minot North and Sentinels sophomores Emersyn Kopp and Kate Weishaar.

The top seeded pair for doubles were V Bradley and S Klitzke from Dickinson while Bismarck Legacy duo Aleah McPherson and Halle Seversen were seeded second.