Sauk Prairie’s tennis team falls in opener

The end result wasn’t what they wanted. But Sauk Prairie’s girls’ tennis team was just thrilled to be back on the court last Tuesday, while several teams across the area are sitting out the fall season out due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. Watertown defeated the Eagles, 6-1, in their first dual meet of the new season. But the meet went off without a hitch, giving everyone involved hope that they can get through a tricky season without any major hiccups. “The girls were extremely excited to get back into competition again,” Sauk Prairie coach Heather Slosarek said. “We had a lot of new hoops to jump through like masks on the bus, personal balls to serve in the match, and unconventional introductions and game conclusions. However, I was impressed with how well the team adapted to the challenges that we were faced with.” Among the changes from past years were: • Each player had two balls assigned to them that they served.   “So, we had to swap balls at each service game and keep track of them a little more than in previous matches,” Slosarek said.   • Doubles teams are now giving “racquet high-fives” instead of traditional high-fives. • And Slosarek is coaching with a mask and from a greater distance than past years. Watertown won all four singles matches and two of three on the doubles’ side. But the Eagles were extremely competitive despite having all 10 girls playing higher in the lineup than ever before. Sauk Prairie’s victory came at No. 2 doubles, where Naomi Breunig and Cassie Ziegler defeated Watertown’s Mya Werning and Cassidy Wesemann, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4. “Naomi and Cassie brought patience, athleticism, and perseverance onto their court,” Slosarek said. “Their opponents were strong, but slightly inconsistent in their serving, so our team did a wonderful job capitalizing on points and open areas.” The Eagles’ top doubles team of Hannah Helt and Camdyn Kastelitz lost a tough 6-1, 7-6 (10) match. And at No. 3 doubles, Faith Holler and Ava Andres fell in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. “Our No. 2 and 3 doubles teams stood out this meet,” Slosarek said. “They stayed active at the net, hustled for every ball, and kept a positive and focused outlook throughout their entire match. They created some great opportunities to seize control of the net and shifted from defensive to offense well.” Sauk Prairie didn’t win a set on the singles’ side, but Slosarek believes this will be a terrific learning experience for her inexperienced team. “Going into the meet, we knew each team had an obstacle to overcome,” Slosarek said. “From moving up in the lineup from JV to varsity or within the varsity team, no player was in a position on the ladder that they had held before. “After losing seniors, a foreign exchange student, and our No. 1 singles player to virtual school, we had a challenge on our hands with a competitive, always well prepared, opponent in Watertown.”   WATERTOWN 6, SAUK PRAIRIE 1  Singles No. 1 - Aubrey Schmutzler, WATERTOWN, def. Taylor Haas, SAUK PRAIRIE, 6-4, 6-3  No. 2 - Danielle Krakow, WATERTOWN, def. Anna Ballweg, SAUK PRAIRIE, 6-4, 6-1  No. 3 - Natalia Cortes, WATERTOWN, def. Olivia Joyce, SAUK PRAIRIE, 6-3, 6-3  No. 4 - Addison Kuenzi, WATERTOWN, def. Devin O’Connor, SAUK PRAIRIE, 6-0, 6-0    Doubles No. 1 - Sydney Linskens and Abby Marr, WATERTOWN, def. Hannah Helt and Camdyn Kastelitz, SAUK PRAIRIE, 6-1, 7-6 (10). No. 2 - Naomi Breunig and Cassie Ziegler, SAUK PRAIRIE, def. Mya Werning and Cassidy Wesemann, WATERTOWN, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4. No. 3 - Jacey Smith and Avalon Uecke, WATERTOWN, def. Faith Holler and Ava Andres, SAUK PRAIRIE, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4