Lourdes back in its usual place, state boys tennis tournament bound

ROCHESTER — Two months ago, Evan Ritter had doubts about his Lourdes boys tennis team.

“We started off the season looking like it was going to be a grind,” Ritter said. “When we (opened) against these guys (Winona Cotter), there were a lot of longer matches.”

Now fast forward to Tuesday, Lourdes taking on these same Ramblers in the Section One, Class 1A championship at the Rochester Athletic Club, the winner advancing to the state tournament.

It was a familiar final. A year ago, Cotter beat Lourdes 4-3 in the championship, ending the Eagles’ 17-year reign as section champs.

Well, Lourdes has righted its ship. Righted it from last year, righted it from its season opener (a 4-3 Eagles win) and even from one week ago when it labored to a 4-3 win over Cotter.

All of that recent struggle versus the Ramblers went away Tuesday, Lourdes hustling to a 5-2 win, all five of those triumphs coming in straight sets.

This, two months in, is now a different Lourdes team. No. 1 singles player Ritter — who finished third at state as an individual last year — insists on it.

Almost all of that change comes from upstairs, the mind. The Eagles have adopted a fighter’s mentality, something that Lourdes longtime coach Steve Tacl has been asking for all season — and every season.

Ritter says his Eagles are there now. They’re fighters.

“Our coach (Tacl) is always pointing out to us that he doesn’t care so much about our skills, he just wants us to focus on the things we can control,” Ritter said. “The way you can improve fast is with your mentality, and by working on battling. Our main focus has been working on the mental part of the game. It helps out a lot. No matter how bad a match might get, it’s important to always want to give the same amount of effort.”

Lourdes’ efforts this season have produced a 15-5 record, a No. 3 state Class 1A ranking and — after a one-year absence — another trip to its beloved state tournament.

Yes, these Eagles cherish going to state, every time.

“As a captain, it just means everything to me and the team to get back to state,” said senior No. 1 doubles player Noah Doherty, who along with partner Easton Ackley produced one of Lourdes’ five wins against Cotter on Tuesday, winning 6-1, 6-0. “We just love being there, being in that environment. It makes me happy; it makes everyone else happy, too. And tennis on this team, it’s like a family to me.”

Top-seeded Lourdes began its day with an easy 7-0 rout of Schaeffer Academy in the semifinals. No. 2 seed Cotter downed No. 3 Waseca 4-3 in the other semi, setting up the teams’ championship rematch.

Lourdes coach Tacl had a series of things that he wanted his team to achieve against the Ramblers, almost all of them coming down to effort, attitude and mindfulness.

He listed them: “Are you picking on your opponent’s weaknesses? Are you adjusting your strategies? Are you staying positive? Are you pumping up your teammates and helping them be energized in their matches?”

To essentially all of that, Tacl’s players were able to answer in the affirmative.

That included Ritter, who says he has also come a ways since the season began. In that opener against Cotter, it took him three sets to beat the Ramblers' top player, Logan Granseth. And Tuesday? It was Ritter in a rout, winning 6-1, 6-2.

He’d cruised and checked off all of Tacl’s boxes en route. So, too, did pretty much everyone on this team.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better with our mentality,” Ritter said. “Before, we’d start the second set rough and end up losing it. But now, everyone seems to battle back. We have a lot less of those really close battles.”

The state team tournament is June 3-4 at Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis.

SEMIFINALS

Lourdes 7, Schaeffer Academy 0

Singles: Evan Ritter (L) def. Hudson Zimmerman 6-2, 6-0; Joe Palen (L) def. Braden Phesarath 6-2, 6-0; Andy Fink (L) def. Leif Olson 6-0, 6-0; Anton Ackley (L) def. Ryder Neidfeld 6-1, 6-0. Doubles: Noah Doherty/Easton Ackley (L) def. Jack Phillips/Calvin Phillips 6-1, 6-2; Max Orth/Bobby Fitzgerald (L) def. Andrew Homme/Daniel Nord 6-3, 6-0; Breckin Ryan/Ben Matthews (L) def. Arianna Carr/Isaac Marino 6-0, 6-1.

Winona Cotter 5, Waseca 2

Singles: Logan Granseth (C) def. Tyler Jellum 6-3, 6-2; Hamilton Brewer (C) def. Henry Huttemier 6-2, 5-7, 6-2; Tommaso Scognamiglio (W) def. Everett Engler 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; Otto Schoenrock (W) def. Carter Knuesel 6-4, 6-3. Doubles: Armaan Bhatti/Keenan Collins (W) def. Zeke Jaworski/Michael Row 6-2, 6-4; Joseph Row/Emilio Navarro (C) def. Lucas McQuery/Tanner Hanson 6-3, 4-6, 6-0; Alejandro Borbon/Oliver Engler (C) def. Allen Kopetzki/Brayden Hoof 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Lourdes 5, Winona Cotter 2

Singles: Ritter (L) def. Granseth 6-1, 6-2; Joe Palen (L) def. Brewer 6-4, 6-4; Fink (L) def. E. Engler 6-1, 6-4; Jaworski (C) def. A. Ackley 5-7, 7-4, 1-0 (7-5). Doubles: Doherty/E. Ackley (L) def. Knuesel/Geng 6-1, 6-0; J. Row/Navarro (L) def. Orth/Fitzgerald 6-3, 6-3; O. Engler/M. Row (C) def. Ryan/Matthews 6-3, 6-7 (7-2), 1-0 (9-7).

Pat has been a Post Bulletin sports reporter since 1994. He covers Rochester John Marshall football, as well as a variety of other southeastern Minnesota football teams. Among my other southeastern Minnesota high school beats are girls basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and field, high school and American Legion baseball, volleyball, University of Minnesota sports (on occasion) and the Timberwolves (on occasion). Readers can reach Pat at 507-285-7723 or pruff@postbulletin.com.