Eagles’ tennis team starts strong

= Sauk Prairie’s girls tennis team is off to a surprisingly strong start. The Eagles won two of three matches at the La Crosse Invite on Aug. 19. Sauk Prairie defeated La Crosse Logan, 7-0 and downed La Crosse Central, 5-2, before falling to La Crosse Aquinas, 7-0. The Eagles were then fell to DeForest, 6-1, on Aug. 20 and were edged by Oregon, 4-3, on Aug. 22. Here’s a recap of Sauk Prairie’s week. • Sauk Prairie 7, La Crosse Logan 0 — The Eagles opened the season in style by winning all seven flights against Logan. In singles play, Addison Acker, Gillian Fritsch, Stella Pacholke and Liesl Judge all posted straight set wins. And in doubles play, Sauk Prairie’s teams of Anna Drescher and Audrey Brickl, Kennedy Breunig and MariElla Viola, and Ava Brings and Amber Dregney all rolled to straight set wins, as well. “The singles line-up had a very strong showing for their first matches of the 2024 season,” Eagles coach Heather Slosarek said. “They demonstrated consistent serving and strategic placement, keeping offensive control from start to finish. “Stella Pacholke at No. 3 singles transferred to singles this year after playing JV doubles last year. Her athleticism shined throughout the day, beginning with this match!” • Sauk Prairie 5, La Crosse Central 2 — The Eagles won three of four singles matches and two of three on the doubles side. Addison Acker posted a hard fought, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 10-5 win at No. 1 singles. No. 2 and 3 singles players — Gillian Fritsch and Stella Pacholke — rolled to straight set wins. “Addy dug deep, eliminating errors and executing her shots to prevail and help secure the win for the team,” Slosarek said of Acker. In doubles action, Anna Drescher and Audrey Brickl rolled to a straight set win at No. 1, while MariElla Viola and Kennedy Breunig notched a 6-4, 3-6, 10-3 win at No. 2. “Anna Drescher and Audrey Brickl really got their groove in the second set,” Slosarek said. “In only their second match together, they were communicating well and adapting their game play with each point.” • Aquinas 7, Sauk Prairie 0 — Aquinas rolled past the Eagles on Aug. 19. “After a long day, the team was feeling the heat stepping out on the court against a solid Aquinas team,” Slosarek said.  • DeForest 6, Sauk Prairie 1 — Leisl Judge posted a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (8) win at No. 4 singles for the Eagles, but that was the only win they could muster. “Liesl Judge played an incredible marathon match, winning in two sets that went to tiebreaks,” Slosarek said. “In both sets, she battled from behind to force the tiebreakers - demonstrating her maturity and resilience.  “Going into this match, we knew we had an uphill battle playing against a seasoned team with eight varsity returners. Many of our players were playing only their second day and third match on varsity, so we were proud to see their ability to maintain strong rallies and grow with these matches. “All in all, I am incredibly proud of how this group of girls stepped up to the challenge of filling the varsity line-up! We have some work to do, but their positive attitudes and willingness to get out on the courts to learn and grow are exactly what we need to continue strengthening our team.” • Oregon 4, Sauk Prairie 3 — Stella Pacholke and Leisl Judge posted straight set wins at No. 3 and 4 doubles, while Ava Brings and Amber Dregney notched a three-set win at No. 3 doubles. But Oregon won the other four flights and prevailed. “Overall, we would have loved to pull off a win,” Slosarek said. “I continue to be proud and hopeful of our team’s progress in the short time we have been playing this season.”    Aug. 19 Sauk Prairie 7, La Crosse Logan 0 Singles No. 1 - Addison Acker, Sauk Prairie def. Lola Xiong, La Crosse Logan, 6-3, 6-4  No. 2 - Gillian Fritsch, Sauk Prairie def. Zaliana Stanton, La Crosse Logan, 6-0, 6-0 No. 3 - Stella Pacholke, Sauk Prairie def. Ava Kerrigan, La Crosse Logan, 6-0, 6-0 No. 4 - Liesl Judge, Sauk Prairie def. Morgan Lestina, La Crosse Logan, 6-0, 6-0    Doubles No. 1 - Anna Drescher, Sauk Prairie - Audrey Brickl, Sauk Prairie def. Sophia Tucker, La Crosse Logan - Holly Aspenson, La Crosse Logan, 6-2, 6-2  No. 2 - Kennedy Breunig, Sauk Prairie - MariElla Viola, Sauk Prairie def. Alexa Wissing, La Crosse Logan - Calessa Adams, La Crosse Logan, 7-5, 6-4 No. 3 - Ava Brings, Sauk Prairie - Amber Dregney, Sauk Prairie def. Summer Slabaugh, La Crosse Logan - Maria Weber, La Crosse Logan, 6-0, 6-2   Aug. 19 Sauk Prairie 5, La Crosse Central - 2 Singles No. 1 - Addison Acker, Sauk Prairie def. Aya Klein-Borger, La Crosse Central, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 10-5  No. 2 - Gillian Fritsch, Sauk Prairie def. Anh Luong, La Crosse Central, 6-1, 6-2 No. 3 - Stella Pacholke, Sauk Prairie def. Taylor Herold, La Crosse Central, 6-1, 6-0  No. 4 - Illyna Lor, La Crosse Central def. Liesl Judge, Sauk Prairie, 6-3, 6-4    Doubles No. 1 - Anna Drescher, Sauk Prairie - Audrey Brickl, Sauk Prairie def. Laura Lapp, La Crosse Central - Olivia Rudie, La Crosse Central, 7-5, 6-0  No. 2 - MariElla Viola, Sauk Prairie - Kennedy Breunig, Sauk Prairie def. Lila Fruehling, La Crosse Central - Sophie Ackerman, La Crosse Central, 6-4, 3-6, 10-3 No. 3 - Anni Ford, La Crosse Central - Hadley Schroeder, La Crosse Central def. Lilly Bennett, Sauk Prairie - Maya Stigney, Sauk Prairie, 4-6, 6-1, 10-7   Aquinas 7, Sauk Prairie 0 Singles No. 1 - Kate Fortney, Aquinas def. Addison Acker, Sauk Prairie, 6-0, 6-0  No. 2 - Tenzin Nelson, Aquinas def. Gillian Fritsch, Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-2 No. 3 - Kaitlyn McGovern, Aquinas def. Stella Pacholke, Sauk Prairie, 6-3, 6-2 No. 4 - Hadley Alderson, Aquinas def. Liesl Judge, Sauk Prairie, 6-2, 6-2   Doubles No. 1 - Nora Dickinson, Aquinas - Eva Willenbring, Aquinas def. Anna Drescher, Sauk Prairie - Audrey Brickl, Sauk Prairie, 6-0, 6-0 No. 2 - Alivia Ritter, Aquinas - Rosa Schwinn-Weaver, Aquinas def. Kennedy Breunig, Sauk Prairie - MariElla Viola, Sauk Prairie, 6-2, 7-6 (3) No. 3 - Lyla Conway, Aquinas - Hannah Miller, Aquinas def. Ava Brings, Sauk Prairie - Amber Dregney, Sauk Prairie, 4-6, 6-4, 10-7   August 20 De Forest 6, Sauk Prairie 1 Singles No. 1 - Chloe Knutson, De Forest def. Addison Acker, Sauk Prairie, 6-0, 6-0 No. 2 - Joanna Wells, De Forest def. Gillian Fritsch, Sauk Prairie, 6-2, 6-3 No. 3 - Carley O’Connor, De Forest def. Stella Pacholke, Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-1 No. 4 - Liesl Judge, Sauk Prairie def. Ellie Bains, De Forest, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (8)   Doubles No. 1 - Marin Catencamp, De Forest - Sophia Golliher, De Forest def. Anna Drescher, Sauk Prairie - Audrey Brickl, Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-0  No. 2 - Lily Finnegan, De Forest - Emma Eiselt, De Forest def. Kennedy Breunig, Sauk Prairie - MariElla Viola, Sauk Prairie, 6-3, 6-1  No. 3 - Evangeline Linzner, De Forest - Addisyn Basham, De Forest def. Ava Brings, Sauk Prairie - Amber Dregney, Sauk Prairie, 6-3, 7-6, 10-5   Aug. 22 Oregon 4, Sauk Prairie 3 Singles No. 1 - Kate Thorne, Oregon def. Addison Acker, Sauk Prairie, 6-1, 6-1 No. 2 - Maya Jadhav, Oregon def. Gillian Fritsch, Sauk Prairie, 6-2, 6-3 No. 3 - Stella Pacholke, Sauk Prairie def. Lauren Thomas, Oregon, 6-1, 6-0  No. 4 - Liesl Judge, Sauk Prairie def. Sophia Muzzi, Oregon, 6-2, 6-0    Doubles No. 1 - Baylee Knott, Oregon - Gianna Goulesh, Oregon def. Anna Drescher, Sauk Prairie - Audrey Brickl, Sauk Prairie, 6-2, 6-4 No. 2 - Ashley Cook, Oregon - Cecilia Brink, Oregon def. MariElla Viola, Sauk Prairie - Kennedy Breunig, Sauk Prairie, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 10-5 No. 3 - Ava Brings, Sauk Prairie - Amber Dregney, Sauk Prairie def. Mallory Ingham, Oregon - Annabelle Schwarz, Oregon, 6-1, 6-7 (2), 10-8