While they still have one home dual remaining, the Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles sent their seniors off on a high note on Saturday at the Holgate Tennis Courts. Central blanked both Pierre and Aberdeen Roncalli 9-0 on Senior Day at the courts.
“Senior Day has usually never been our best day,” said Central coach John Vogel of the emotions and distractions connected with the annual event. “It’s been a concern. … I thought the seniors did a really nice job.”
No current senior has spent more time on the varsity than Avery Tennant, who started as a eighth-grader. As she is wrapping up her fifth campaign with the Golden Eagles, reality is setting in.
“It doesn’t feel real. I’ve been here since my eighth-grade year,” Tennant said. “Every year, it’s like I still have next year, I still have next year, and then this year, I’m like this is my last year. These are my last matches.”
Tennant moved her way up the ranks through the years to her current position as the team’s top flight singles player. She said her game has evolved, especially in one particular area.
“Definitely hitting harder. When I started I was just getting everything back,” Tennant said. “It worked, and I think consistency is still needed, but you also need to hit more winners to end the points quicker.”
As Tennant finished up her matches on Saturday, there was a realization that her days on the court are coming to an end.
“I’m just realizing these are my last matches,” Tennant said. “I’ll probably never play Roncalli again, and all the other schools that are coming up, I’ll probably never see them again, and it’s just a crazy thought.”
Central had a few close calls against Pierre, but managed to come up big at the end to win those battles.
Estelle Riggs won her match 7-2 in a super tiebreaker at flight four singles.
“It was neck and neck the whole time. She was down 8-9, and she played a great game at 8-9 to force a breaker and just dominated the breaker,” Vogel said. “It looked like the old Estelle. Before then it was very tentative and nervous Estelle.”
Mady Holman also pulled off a come-from-behind victory at flight five singles to win 10-7.
“Mady was down big, and she came back and played like a totally different player the second half of the match,” Vogel said.
While Roncalli didn’t win a match against Central, Cavaliers coach Jonah Dignan was pleased with the way his players competed.
“We’ve been inside for three days practicing,” Dignan said. “I was hoping we’d come out and not be super sluggish and we weren’t. We came out of the gate pretty good.”
Despite not winning any sets against the Golden Eagles, Dignan noted his players played their own style.
“We played long points and we played our tennis,” Dignan said. “We didn’t get sucked into playing the way that they wanted to play, we played our tennis.”
One of the Cavaliers who has made major strides this season is freshman Molleigh Hofer, who moved into the fifth flight singles position.
“It was just harder, because of the levels,” Hofer said of climbing into a varsity position. “I wasn’t used to playing those type of people and I had to improve a lot during the season to perform at those levels.”
Hofer said she has had to elevate her game as she faces tougher foes.
“I think I’ve improved moving the ball more,” she said, “and the placement of it.”
Hofer said she is not intimidated by facing older competition, because she has gotten used to it.
“Even when I was (playing) seven and eight, I was still playing seniors and juniors,” Hofer said, “so it wasn’t as intimidating. I think I was just more intimidated by their skill level.”
Both Central and Roncalli host Sioux Falls Christian on Saturday. The Cavaliers will face Lennox and Milbank at Milbank before that on Tuesday.
“We try not to play a ton of AA schools,” Dignan said, “but for sure we want to the end the season on A’s, so that we can get ready for state.”
Aberdeen Central 9, Pierre 0
SINGLES
Avery Tennant, AC, def. Breanna Tedrow, 10-2.
Sarah Knie, AC, def. Elise Bowers, 10-6.
Chloe Ladner, AC, def. Eliza Mayer, 10-8.
Estelle Riggs, AC, def. Amara Dell, 10-9 (7-2).
Mady Holman, AC, def. Adrian Hand, 10-7.
Anna Wells, AC, def. Genna Stangeland, 10-3.
DOUBLES
Tennant-Ladner, AC, def. Tedrow-Dell, 10-2.
Knie-Riggs, AC, def. Bowers-Mayer, 10-1.
Holman-Wells, AC, def. Hand-Stangeland, 10-8.
Aberdeen Central 9, Aberdeen Roncalli 0
SINGLES
Avery Tennant, AC, def. Keira Rivett, 6-0, 6-1.
Sarah Knie, AC, def. Sydney Bohle, 6-1, 6-1.
Chloe Ladner, AC, def. Gianna Cihak, 6-1, 6-3.
Estelle Riggs, AC, def. Lydia Nora, 6-2, 6-1.
Mady Holman, AC, def. Molleigh Hofer, 6-3, 6-1.
Anna Wells, AC, def. Abby Andersen, 6-1, 6-2.
DOUBLES
Tennant-Ladner, AC, def. Rivett-Bohle, 6-2, 6-1.
Knie-Riggs, AC, def. Cihak-Hofer, 6-2, 6-0.
Holman-Wells, AC, def. Nora-Andersen, 6-1, 6-1.
