Austin Packers girls’s tennis edges Rochester John Marshall 4-3 in Section 1AA team tournament

The Austin Packers girls’ tennis team, the No. 9 seed in the Section 1AA team tournament traveled to Rochester Tuesday for a first-round matchup with No. 8 seed Rochester John Marshall, and it was the Packers getting the best of the Rockets in three different three-set matches in a 4-3 win.

Picking up wins for Austin were Gracie Schmitt, who downed Ginny Hull of JM at #1 singles 6-3, 6-0, Emma Haugen outlasted Aubrey Ackman of the Rockets in three sets at #4 singles 6-2, 5-7 and 6-3, Samantha Krueger and Reana Schmitt of the Packers fell in the first set to Sara and Stacie Mullenbach of John Marshall at #1 doubles 6-1, but Krueger and Schmitt rallied to take the next two sets 6-0 and 6-2, and Abby and Katie VanPelt of Austin fell in the first set at #2 doubles to Anna Sun and Hailey Villar of JM 6-1 and were trailing 3-0 in the second set before rallying back to win 7-5.  The VanPelts trailed again 5-2 in the third and deciding set, but again they were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by coming back to win 7-5.

The Packers will travel back to the Med City Thursday to take on top seed Rochester Mayo in the 1AA quarterfinals, as the Spartans defeated Faribault in the first round.  Other first-round winners included No. 4 seed Lakeville North, who defeated No. 13 Albert Lea and No. 5 seed Owatonna, who will play at Lakeville North Thursday after downing No. 12 seed Waseca.  The other quarterfinal matches will pit No. 2 Lakeville South against No. 10 seed Stewartville, as South dispatched No. 15 seed Tri-City United, and the Tigers upset No. 7 seed Northfield.  No. 3 seed Rochester Century downed fourteenth-seeded Farmington, and they will host No. 6 Winona Thursday after the Winhawks defeated No. 11 seed Red Wing.

JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH – 3, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH – 4,

Singles:
No. 1 – Gracie Schmitt, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH def. Ginny Hull, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH, 6-3 , 6-0 , — ;
No. 2 – Abby Herman, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH def. Kaitlin Meiergerd, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH, 6-1 , 6-0 , -;
No. 3 – Grace Abdelkarim, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH def. Riley Hetzel, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH, 6-1 , 6-4 , -;
No. 4 – Emma Haugen, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH def. Aubrey Ackman, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH, 6-2 , 5-7 , 6-3 ;

Doubles:
No. 1 – Samantha Krueger, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH – Reana Schmitt, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH def. Stacie Mullenbach, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH – Sarah Mullenbach, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH, 1-6 , 6-0 , 6-2 ;
No. 2 – Abby VanPelt, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH – Katie VanPelt, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH def. Anna Sun, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH – Hailey Villar, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH, 1-6 , 7-5 , 7-5 ;
No. 3 – Teagan Tagtow, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH – Aria Sikel, JOHN MARSHALL SENIOR HIGH def. Aunica Groh, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH – Vida Curtis, AUSTIN SENIOR HIGH, 6-3 , 6-2 , -;