skip navigation

Netters Stay Unbeaten With Close Home Victory

By Tom Schardin, 04/21/19, 4:45PM CDT

Share

The Prior Lake boys tennis team team did just enough to win its third straight match to open the season.

The Lakers won three of four in singles play in earning a 4-3 home win over Shakopee April 16 in South Suburban Conference action. All four of Prior Lake's wins were in straight sets, the same for the Sabers' three victories.

Shakopee is also a Section 2AA foe. The Lakers are 2-0 against potential future playoff opponents while also beating Chaska.

Prior Lake (2-0 in the SSC) was supposed to play at Chanhassen, another section foe, April 17, but the match was postponed due to rain and reset for May 8.

The Lakers will play at Rosemount in league play April 18 at 4 p.m.

Prior Lake will play five matches in five straight days: at Minnetonka April 22, versus No. 10-ranked Eagan April 23, at Eden Prairie April 24, at Burnsville April 25 and home to Mankato West April 26.

Eagan and Burnsville are SSC contests, while Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Mankato West are section foes.

In beating Shakopee, ninth-grader Wyatt Crowell, junior Michael Johnson and seventh-grader Luke Jacobson won in singles for the Lakers. Crowell won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1, while Johnson dominated (6-0, 6-0) at No. 3 and Jacobson battled for a two-set win (6-3, 7-6) at No. 4.

In doubles, seniors Riley Rose and Jaydon Olson won the No. 1 spot for the Lakers (6-2, 6-3).

Last year, the Lakers finished 5-4 in the SSC. The league is strong this spring with three ranked teams in the Class AA top 10, including No. 5 Eastview and No. 7 Lakeville South.

In Section 2AA, Orono is the team to beat. The Spartans are the only ranked team in the field so far at No. 6. Orono beat Minnetonka for the title last year, while the Lakers lost in the semifinals for a third straight season.

Orono's John Kasner is the only singles player ranked in the state's top 10 from Section 2AA, sitting in the No. 7 spot.

Three players from the SSC are ranked: Gavin Young of Eastview at No. 1, Maxim Zagrebelny of Eagan at No. 2 and Hunter Roseth of Lakeville South at No. 9.