FARGO, N.D. — The Valley City Hi-Liners girls tennis team capped an exciting postseason run with a dramatic blend of near-misses and historic achievements. Despite falling just short of a state team berth, Valley City found success at the EDC individual tournament, highlighted by a doubles championship and a singles semifinal appearance.
Part I: Team EDC Tournament
Valley City entered the Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) tournament as the No. 4 seed and opened with a dramatic 3-2 win over No. 5 West Fargo Horace in the quarterfinals.
“Sommerfeld up top is tough — she’s the second-best player in the EDC — and Georgia had a rough go,” said head coach Matt Nielson. “But she’ll get another crack at her in the individual tournament. Kailee rolled in her match and Chloe adjusted nicely after a shaky first set to come away with a big win.”
Doubles play proved critical. Lexi Svenningsen and Sara Beierle dominated the opening set but couldn’t hold on, falling in a super tiebreaker. That left Skye Nielson and Rylyn Johnson to clinch the match at No. 1 doubles.
“It was tied at one set apiece, and we were up 5-4 deuce, returning,” Nielson said. “Skye and Rylyn talked it over. Rylyn hits the return, Skye takes the net — and bang. Winner volley to clinch the overall victory. It was perfect execution.”
Quarterfinals: #4 Valley City 3, #5 West Fargo Horace 2
1S. Georgia Zaun lost to Alyssa Sommerfeld 6-0, 6-1
2S. Kailee Nielson def. Ellie Heilman 6-0, 6-0
3S. Chloe Liebersbach def. Macy Mack 6-4, 6-2
1D. S. Nielson/Johnson def. Rexin/Richards 7-6(5), 6-4
2D. Svenningsen/Beierle lost to Posl/B. Heilman 1-6, 6-3, 13-11
In the semifinals, the Hi-Liners ran into top-seeded West Fargo Sheyenne and its powerhouse lineup.
“Gu is the best player in the EDC, probably the state,” Nielson said of the Mustang’s No. 1, who defeated Zaun. “Georgia played amazing, but Gu was just too much.”
Kailee Nielson had a thrilling matchup against Sheyenne’s undefeated No. 2, Shireen Durrani. Kailee took the first set 6-2 and was locked at 4-4 before dropping a tough tiebreak.
“It was maybe the best tennis of the entire tournament,” Nielson said. “Both players were incredible.”
Though Lexi and Sara lost in a heartbreaking third-set super, Skye and Rylyn stayed unbeaten on the day with a straight-sets doubles victory.
Semifinals: #1 West Fargo Sheyenne 4, #4 Valley City 1
1S. Zaun lost to Sarea Gu 6-1, 6-1
2S. K. Nielson lost to Durrani 2-6, 6-4, 10-6
3S. Liebersbach lost to Avni Banerjee 6-1, 6-1
1D. S. Nielson/Johnson def. Knodle/Duffy 7-5, 6-1
2D. Svenningsen/Beierle lost to Mauch/Bartnick 6-4, 3-6, 16-14
The loss sent Valley City to the state qualifier against Fargo Davies, the No. 3 seed. Again, the match came down to a 2-2 tie, and again Lexi and Sara were the final match on the court.
“The atmosphere was intense — cheering from every direction,” said Nielson. “We lost the first set 1-6 but settled in. We were up 4-3 in the second and couldn’t snag the deuce points. That cost us.”
Despite strong wins from Kailee and the still-unbeaten No. 1 doubles team, the Hi-Liners fell 3-2 and missed out on state qualification by the slimmest of margins.
State Qualifier: #3 Fargo Davies 3, #4 Valley City 2
1S. Zaun lost to Tanis Lee 6-1, 6-3
2S. K. Nielson def. Ava Eslinger 6-1, 6-1
3S. Liebersbach lost to Taya Laidlaw 6-2, 6-2
1D. S. Nielson/Johnson def. Wanzek/Sandvik 6-4, 6-4
2D. Svenningsen/Beierle lost to Bahn/Hozak 6-1, 6-4
The Hi-Liners finished a point or two away from a championship berth — and left it all on the court.
“I believe our team grew a ton,” Nielson said. “Four of our seven players had never been here before. They gave their all and hit our pillars. Watch out for these Hi-Liners next season.”
Part II: Individual EDC Tournament
The Hi-Liners bounced back on Friday and Saturday at the individual EDC tournament. Valley City captured its fourth EDC doubles title in 12 years and celebrated a singles semifinalist for the first time in over two decades.
Sisters Kailee and Skye Nielson, seeded No. 1 in the doubles draw, stormed through their bracket. They won both Friday matches in under an hour and dominated the semifinal 6-0, 6-2.
Their finals opponents from Davies had played a grueling three-set semifinal and couldn’t keep up.
“We jumped out to a lead and never let up,” Nielson said. “Even with a delay from an ankle roll, the girls stayed confident and closed it out in style.”
Kailee and Skye defeated Davies 6-2, 6-3 to earn the East’s No. 1 seed at state.
EDC Doubles Champions (2025): Kailee Nielson & Skye Nielson
Previous Hi-Liner champions:
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2015: Clarissa Olson & Reagan Ingstad
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2016: Reagan Ingstad & Maia Wendel
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2023: Breck Sufficool & Abby Martineck
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2025: Kailee Nielson & Skye Nielson
In singles, Georgia Zaun — seeded No. 6 — reached the semifinals, the first Hi-Liner to do so since the early 2000s.
“She played amazing tennis,” Nielson said. “In the quarterfinal, she was up 5-0 in the second set after winning the first. Mary Wolf made a push, but Georgia held strong and won it at the net with a smash. It was electric.”
Zaun enters the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from the East and will face Abby Mullally of Bismarck St. Mary’s in the opening round.
Eighth-grader Lexi Svenningsen and freshman Sara Beierle also earned two wins in doubles before falling in the state qualifier. The young pair showed rapid improvement and gained valuable experience.
“The offseason will be big for them,” said Nielson. “Their footwork, belief, and racket prep will only improve.”
Junior Rylyn Johnson, who joined the team in March with no prior tennis experience, made her tournament debut in singles and competed hard.
“She brought so much positive energy,” said Nielson. “She was coachable, competitive, and a great teammate. We’re thrilled to have her back next year.”
Chloe Liebersbach, another eighth-grader, picked up a tournament win and nearly took a set off a state qualifier from Shanley.
“She’s a court rat — always working on her game,” said Nielson. “She’ll take another big step forward next season.”
Looking Ahead
Though the team’s postseason ended earlier than hoped, the future is bright for Valley City girls tennis. With two state qualifiers in Kailee and Skye Nielson (doubles) and Georgia Zaun (singles), along with a talented core of underclassmen, the Hi-Liners are positioned for a return to the top.
“You either win or you grow — and I think this group did both,” Nielson said.
Valley City opens state play Friday at Choice Health & Fitness in Grand Forks. Zaun faces St. Mary’s Mullally at 10 a.m., while Kailee and Skye Nielson take on Legacy’s Ava Flemmer and Joya Martian approximately at 11 a.m.