Packers top Blue Jays

By Sun Staff

May 17, 2005 at 11:00 PM

Tuesday's match with West Fargo was for sixth and seventh place in the upcoming EDC tournament.

But with a 6-3 loss against the Packers, in Jamestown, the Blue Jays were handed seventh.

"It was your classic woulda, shoulda, coulda match," Jamestown coach Pam Musland said.

Following a win by Molly Slaby that put the Blue Jays in the driver's seat with a 3-1 match lead, JHS would lose the next five.

"We needed just two more wins to lock it in and the tide turned," Musland said.

Two of the losses, in No. 3 singles with Kari Paulsrud and in No. 2 singles with Meghan Watne, went to tiebreaks before the Jays lost.

"If we could have held on to the tiebreaks, we could have won 5-4," Musland said. "It would be terrific if we could play them again."

The Blue Jays' No. 3 doubles team of Cally Musland and Megan Stark improved their record to 4-3 on the year with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the opener.

"Cally has developed a solid forehand," Musland said. "You can tell when she takes that big swing a bullet is coming. Megan shows no fear at the net. I'm not sure if that comes from playing hockey or what. But in a nutshell, they complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. They don't expect perfection from each other and don't dwell on a point that has been played."

Kari Paulsrud and Hannah Liechty pushed the JHS advantage to two sets up with a 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 win over West Fargo's Sadie Doggett and Beth Anderson.

"We had a lot of unforced errors in the first set," said Musland. "But in the second set they determined the other team's strengths and weaknesses and made adjustments. In the tiebreak, it was a couple of huge serves and who had nerves of steel. Tennis is 20 percent talent and 80 percent mental ability."

The Packers claimed a victory in the No. 1 doubles as Kellie Lindberg and Meghan Watne were defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Kelly Donlin and Jessie John.

In a rematch from the West Fargo Invitational a few weeks ago, Slaby defeated Cronin 6-4, 6-3. Slaby defeated Cronin 6-2, 6-4 at the previous tournament.

"It was neck and neck, back and forth," Musland said. "Molly was just more consistent."

The No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches went to tiebreaks as Paulsrud came back from a 6-2 first set defeat to claim the second set 7-5. She would lose the tiebreak 10-7.

Watne's No. 2 singles match started with a 6-0 defeat and carried into the second set as she lost the first three games.

"Meghan lost nine straight games in a row," Musland said. "She looked like she had no business being in the match, but then she changed her strategy and won the second set, but she couldn't quite put all the points together for the win."

Following the 6-4 second set win, Watne lost the third set 14-12.

The Blue Jays (2-6) are now locked into an opening round matchup with second-seeded Fargo South Thursday in Fargo. The regional matchup, three singles matches and a pair of doubles matchups, is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.

Last year JHS took the same seed, seventh, into regional play but emerged with a fourth-place finish.

"It is not going to be easy. We still have a young team," Musland said. "Knowing that we have done it in the past, we know its not out of the realm of possibility. That helps a lot. We will know Thursday. But we have to really bring the intensity up."

West Fargo 6, Jamestown 3

Singles

No. 1: Kelly Donlin, WF def. Kellie Lindberg 6-3, 6-1.

No. 2: Jessie John, WF def. Meghan Watne 6-0, 4-6, 14-12.

No. 3: Sadie Doggett, WF def. Kari Paulsrud 2-6, 7-5, 10-7.

No. 4: Beth Anderson, WF,def. Samantha Kemmet 6-2, 6-0.

No. 5: Anne Dai, WF def. Sarah Berntson 6-2, 6-0.

No. 6: Molly Slaby, JHS def. Laura Cronin 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles

No. 1: Donlin/John, WF def. Lindberg/Watne 7-5, 6-4.

No. 2: Paulsrud/Hannah Liechty, JHS def. Doggett/Anderson 2-6, 6-4, 11-9.

No. 3: Cally Musland/Megan Stark, JHS def. Dai/Cronin 6-3, 6-2.