The North Park tennis team went into the last weekend of the fall season against two conference rivals in away matches at Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan. Coming to the end of a strong season, the Vikings looked confident against their final opponents, despite injuries to key players.
The weekend began with doubles against conference #2 Millikin. From the get-go, North Park's #1 doubles pair of Hanna Zethreus and Marie Fuehrer, pushed Millkin back on their heels. The pair has had great success so far this season, and Saturday would prove no different. The two played a tight match but came out on top.
Another notable doubles match was #3 doubles where Maddie Starr and Kate Vinson fought back from some early game losses to win back four consecutive games, only to lose in the final moments of the match.
Singles proved more difficult for the Vikings with two notable exceptions. #2 singles Marie Fuehrer won in a spirited match against her opponent from Millkin. #1 singles Hannah Zetheus just missed taking the match to three sets when she lost in a tiebreaker in the second set. Millikin would end up winning the team match with a total 7-2.
Next, North Park trekked to Illinois Wesleyan first thing Sunday morning for the last match of the fall season. The last NPU victory against IWU was September 27, 2015, but the Vikings snapped that streak with a convincing 9-0 win.
The first win of the day came from #3 doubles Emma Trais and Anna Miller. Trais's strong service game, and Miller's aggressive net play proved the winning combo for the Vikings.
#2 doubles of Olivia DeLuca and Nikolina Kisin had equal success, dominating their opponents in an 8-0 set. Only #1 doubles had some trouble against a consistent and focused Wesleyan pair. Once warmed up, however, North Park found their fire and finished off their opponents 8-3.
In singles, North Park won all through the lineup in straight-set matches from Hanna Zethreus at #1 singles all through to freshman Ella Darrow at #6 singles.
The Vikings finished the fall portion of their split season above .500 for the first time in program history, including their most CCIW wins under the guidance of Head Coach Karl Clifton-Soderstrom. With wins over conference rivals of Elmhurst, Carroll, and Illinois Wesleyan, it proved to be a noteworthy fall.
"It was a great season for the tennis team," said coach Clifton-Soderstrom. "Coach Miranda Rodriguez and I are proud of what this young team has accomplished against tough competition both inside and outside of CCIW play, as well as the ITA regional tournament. For a team of almost all 1st and 2nd year players to do this well against our conference rivals testifies to their commitment and determination all season long. In match after match, they showed a confidence and fought hard on the court against each and every team. This was a real turnaround season for our program and the future looks bright."
