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Sports

Wayzata Tennis Continues To Live Dream Season

The Trojans sit one win away from facing rival Edina for a trip to state. Can they upset the 14-time defending champs?

It began as a goal when the team reported to camp on Aug. 15, and on Thursday it could become a reality.

girls tennis team rallied off a 7-0 win over Robbinsdale Armstrong on Tuesday in the Section 6AA quarterfinal, and in doing so earned a trip to the section semifinal round.

Edina, seeded No. 2, will face No. 3 Hopkins on Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Lakeville Lifetime Fitness, and with a win the Trojans will likely get their shot against 14-time defending state champion Edina with a trip to state on the line at 1 p.m.

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To dream about it is one thing. To live it?

“That would be unbelievably amazing,” senior captain Aneesha Ahluwalia said. “Probably the greatest feeling. It’s something we’ve been working for for a long time.”

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Edina will face Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the semifinal round.

The Trojans—ranked fourth in Class AA—nearly toppled Edina in Lake Conference play on Sept. 20. They fell 5-2, but in doing so the team further sparked a fire—a belief—that they could end Edina’s longstanding streak atop the Minnesota tennis world.

“I think a few of them lost some sleep over that match, what could have been,” coach Marci Weiner said. “But that’s OK. That’s all right. They were beaten by good play, and that makes you go back and work harder.”

It all begins with a rematch against Hopkins in the section semifinals—a team Wayzata beat 6-1 on Sept. 13. 

Still, the Trojans aren’t overlooking the Royals. If anything, they’re using that second shot at the Hornets as motivation to move through the semifinal round.

“It’s been a big goal all season,” Ahluwalia said. “Especially after we came really close this season. That’s just really motivated us so much more. It’s really within our grasps. We’ve been working really hard.”

Weiner said this is her best team she’s had in 10 years as the Trojans’ coach. That’s why even in likely needing to beat the Hornets to make it to state, she’s excited about seeing what her team can do.

“I feel like I have a dream team,” she said.

Ahluwalia agreed.

“I just want to walk out of there knowing we did our best,” Ahluwalia said. “I think we’ve got it together, and now it’s going to come down to Thursday to pull it out.”

SECTION 6AA QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

No. 1 singles: (Wayzata) Kelly Yang def. (Armstrong) Kristina Conrad 6-3, 6-1

No. 2 singles: (Wayzata) Lu Solis def. (Armstrong) Sarah Coryell 6-2, 6-0

No. 3 singles: (Wayzata) Nirupa Galagedera def. (Armstrong) Sarah Wixon 6-0, 6-2

No. 4 singles: (Wayzata) Steph Heiring def. (Armstrong) Jenny Fischer 4-6, 6-1, 10-7

No. 1 doubles: (Wayzata) Caitlin Eichten/Ali Heiring def. (Armstrong) Camille Kingsbury/Sophie Moe 6-1, 6-1

No. 2 doubles: (Wayzata) Hallie Koehn/Haley Nichols def. (Armstrong) Kara Johnson/Rachel Kuelbs 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 doubles: (Wayzata) Carol Coutinho/Aneesha Ahluwalia def. (Armstrong) Laura Appelen/Amy Master 6-0, 6-0

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