WAUWATOSA, Wis.-- The defending Northern Athletics Conference champion and preseason league favorite looked every bit the part Monday night as host Wisconsin Lutheran College cruised to an 8-1 season-opening non-conference tennis victory over Mount Mary College at Hart Park.
"It was baptism by fire for us tonight with a virtual rookie team playing against a conference champion loaded with returners," Mount Mary head coach Tom Troast said. "Playing a seasoned, championship team early is a wonderful learning experience for us. As we rebuild our program it provided an opportunity for our players to witness where we want to be."
The lone team point earned by Mount Mary came in an exciting No. 3 singles match featuring junior Carol Guillen (Milwaukee, Wis.). Guillen faced a pair of second-set deficits, down 0-2 and 2-4, before rallying to force a tiebreak. The Blue Angel veteran then pushed through the final extra points, securing a thrilling 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) victory.
"Carol played her best collegiate match yet," Troast said. "Those comebacks in the second set were just great tennis under a lot of pressure."
Three players—freshmen Krista Olson (Appleton, Wis.) and Katelyn Reuter (Waukesha, Wis.) and senior Mary Holmberg (Wausau, Wis.) all played in their first ever tennis matches in a Blue Angel uniform.
"I was really proud of our freshmen, Krista Olson and Katelyn Reuter," Troast said. "Their matches were very competitive with a lot of intensity. Krista held her own against Hendee at No. 1 singles, with some close games and great points."
Despite great play from some fresh faces, only three Blue Angels singles netters other than Guillen were able to steal a set off of her opponent. The tandem of freshman Krista Olson (Appleton, Wis.) and junior Katie Wolk (Oshkosh, Wis.) was able to notch a pair of set victories off the Warriors at No. 1 doubles, but fell 8-2. Wolk, who was named team captain, returned to the court for the first time since 2010 after being sidelined all of last year recovering from a knee injury.
The Blue Angels will return to the courts Thursday as they travel to Chicago's west side to battle Aurora University. Match time against the Spartans is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Washington Middle School. Mount Mary, which plays four of its 11 scheduled matches in this first week of competition, will finish up the week with a double-header Saturday at Beloit College, taking on the host Buccaneers and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
