With just about a week remaining in the regular season, the Chaska girls tennis team is showing solid midseason form in both singles and doubles. The Hawks have had a busy schedule recently, getting matches in before the weather takes a turn toward winter.
They faced District 112 rival Chanhassen on Sept. 16, falling 6-1, with Emily Schladweiler earning the win. The match with Prior Lake was rained out and will be rescheduled. On Sept. 21, Chaska defeated Richfield 6-0. The following day, playing their second match in two days, the Hawks earned an exciting 4-3 victory over the always-tough Benilde-St. Margaret’s team.
The Hawks took on Burnsville on Sept. 23 on a perfect fall afternoon in a non-conference match. Chaska sent four singles players and three doubles teams onto the courts. One court was reserved for exhibition matches, giving a variety of players from both schools the opportunity to compete on the varsity courts.
In singles, freshman Amulya Kadirisani won her match 6-2, 6-2, improving her season record to 5-5. Freshman Emily Schladweiler won 6-0, 6-1 and improved to 9-2 on the year. Senior Tessa Fuhr won 6-4, 6-4, while senior Naomi Monaghan also earned a victory to complete the singles sweep.
In doubles, the team of junior Piper Kaufhold and junior Theresa Deschneau won 6-3, 6-2, while senior Kallie Wilson and junior Kiera Borck-Schmidt also won their match. Juniors Bryn Paulson and Katie Robinson faced tough opponents and fell 7-5, 6-4. The final match score was 6-1 in favor of Chaska.
Team captains Jenna Campbell and Shraavya Davuluri feel the team has had a successful season.
“Our record at this point is what we did all last year,” Campbell said. “We had a lot of seniors graduate, so we’re a young team, but we’re playing great. It’s great to be a part of it,” Davuluri said.
Both captains praised the team’s talented freshmen.
“Amulya and Emily are so strong and so skilled. They are going to have great careers,” the captains said.
Leading the team in wins and earning the accolades of her captains, Schladweiler was modest about her accomplishments. “I just go out and work hard, look for the best shot, and go for it. I only started playing the game a few years ago, but I’m always learning,” she said.
Head coach Bill Rennie sees the team improving with each match during their compressed season.
“We’re gaining great match experience, and the players are taking control of the court and seeking to make the right moves at the net. We play a number of matches in a week, like this last week, and they work hard at improving their games with each match. Everyone has worked hard on their game, and it’s showing. We’ll finish strong,” Rennie said.
Coaches are allowed to visit players between games, and Rennie and assistant coach Angela Erickson both did that throughout matches. They pointed out the things they see going right and things to consider for the next game or set. Team manager Xavier Stech kept track of match results, giving the coaches more time to work with the team during the Burnsville match.
The Hawks will get little rest as the team travels to Orono on Sept. 25 before taking on Holy Family on Sept. 28. Their next home match is scheduled for Oct. 1 against New Prague, the last regularly scheduled match before team and individual sectionals.
