CEDAR FALLS, Iowa and FARGO, N.D. – No. 24 Gustavus women's tennis opened its 2025 spring season Sunday, Feb. 2, competing as a split squad against Division I Creighton (Neb.) and Northern Iowa, as well as DII University of Mary (N.D.), coming away with a win in Fargo and a pair of losses against both DI opponents.
Gustavus 0, Creighton 7
Gustavus opened the morning with Creighton at the Black Hawk Tennis Center in Cedar Falls. Creighton (3-1 overall) won every singles match in just two sets, allowing at-most four points for the Gusties.
Kaya De Bruijn (Jr., Maasland, Netherland) and
Lanie Davis (Fy., St. Louis, Mo.) battled to 4-6, 2-6 losses at No. 2 and No. 5 singles, respectively.
In doubles play, fall ITA All-Americans De Bruijn and
Karina Elvestrom (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.) played to a 2-6 loss in the No. 1 spot, while Davis and
Ella De Young (So., Iowa City, Iowa) dropped a 2-6 decision at No. 3.
Molly Austin (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.) and
Bethany Smith (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) fell 0-6 in the No. 2 doubles.
Gustavus 4, University of Mary 3
Meanwhile, in Fargo, first-year
Rika Cross (Hemet, Calif.) led the Gusties to their first dual match win of the year, clinching the match with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles. She also contributed to a 7-5 victory at No. 3 doubles with partner
Madison Packer (Jr., Wadena, Minn.), but U Mary (0-1 overall) ultimately won the doubles point with 6-2 and 6-3 wins over the Gusties' teams at No. 1 and No. 2.
Noor Omar (Fy., Fridley, Minn.) picked up the first dual singles win of her career, going 6-2 and 6-3 at No. 2, while
Brooke Haddorff (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) won 6-3 and 6-1 at No. 4. Packer added a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5 for the team's first win of 2025.
Gustavus 3, Northern Iowa 4
The Iowa squad wrapped up the first weekend of spring tennis with a tightly contested match against Northern Iowa (1-4 overall), dropping 3-4 to the Panthers.
Elvestrom and De Bruijn, who start the season ranked at No. 12 in Division III and No. 3 in the region, earned a 6-2 victory in the No. 1 doubles, but UNI bested the other two Gustie teams of Austin and Smith (3-6) and Davis and De Young (4-6) to claim the doubles point.
In singles play, Elvestrom collected a 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 victory at the top lineup spot for her first individual Division I win, while Austin followed with two 7-5 decisions to win at No. 3. Davis took UNI's No. 5 to two tiebreakers and won each time, 7-6, but De Bruijn, De Young, and Smith fell at No. 2, 4, and 6 to seal the victory for Northern Iowa, 4-3, over the Gusties.
"It was a great start to the season," said Head Coach
Jon Carlson '88. "The team up in Fargo pulled off a big win, with a lot of different players stepping up to contribute. We battled until the end against Northern Iowa. A couple points here and there and the final score would have been different. A great start, and we're excited for the season going forward."
The Gusties (1-2 overall) host a pair of Division II opponents next Saturday, Feb. 8, inviting Sioux Falls (0-1 overall) and MSU-Mankato to the Swanson Tennis Center before beginning conference play the following day against Concordia (0-5, 0-3 MIAC). Gustavus will also face MSU-Moorhead (3-0 overall) Sunday, Feb. 9, in Fargo.
