On Thursday, the Crusaders continued their Southern Badger Conference season by hosting their first match of the year at Quann Park. The Silver Eagles of Monona Grove were on deck today- always an important match considering Coach Kinsler is an MG alum. Monona Grove always poses a challenge with a team of consistent, strong athletes. Nonetheless, the Crusaders approached today as any other.
In singles competition, #1 Sydney Kirsh lost the first game to a sound Paulson. However, Syd quickly found her game and rattled off the next 12 straight games, complimenting big serves with crushing groundstrokes to cruise to a 6-1, 6-0 win. At #2 singles, Sara Murphy couldn't quite get her feet under her early as a tall Strangstelien forced the issue. Despite a series of errors, Murph held it together with her usual mix of heavy topspin and angled approaches to win 6-3, 6-2. #3 Courtney Burke was as solid as ever, racing Sydney off the court at 6-1, 6-0. #4 Jessie O'Brien scored a 6-0, 6-3 victory, but her opponent pushed her much harder than the score indicates.
In doubles, the 1's (Rachael Wabers and Lauren Keller) shot out of the gates at 3-0 with a quick attack that caught MG off-guard. Like most good teams, MG adjusted to a two-back formation to limit the power of the Crusaders. Still, the Crusaders maintained their power game and cemented a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The 2's (Marieke VanRybroek and Morgan Molitor) continued to be the hot team, smoking a 6-0, 6-0 victory with a mix of punishing cross-court returns and hard middle crossing. The team welcomed back captain Caroline Christianson and her partner, Marigrace Carney, to the fold. Both girls had recently been out with injuries but returned in form against Fort Atkinson on Tuesday. They maintained that form beautifully today by roping MG 6-0, 6-3.
Overall, the girls outpaced MG by a score of 7-0 to remain unbeaten in conference play (4-0).
At the JV level, the girls continued the onslaught by sweeping the matches in singles and doubles