GGF spring tennis: Central's returners thriving early in season

Apr. 24—GRAND FORKS — Tom Wynne was blunt with his team last season.

After the Grand Forks Central girls tennis team posted a four-win year, Wynne let them know why they weren't good enough.

"We didn't beat very many teams," the coach said. "I said, 'You guys have got to get better, and the month and a half that I have with you guys isn't going to get it done. You have to start working on it during the winter.'

"They did take my advice, a lot of them."

The results are showing on the court.

Central is off to a 4-0 start this season, already matching last year's win total.

Part of the success is due to Central returning its entire varsity roster from last season. The Knights did not use any seniors on varsity in 2025.

Junior Ali Wilhelmi, senior Hawi Lemu and senior Stella Blue all qualified for the state individual tournament last season and are anchoring the team this fall. Sophomore Hailey Johnson, junior Peyton Ault and sophomore Cali Lindseth have provided depth for the Knights.

Central opened the season beating West Fargo Sheyenne 6-3 (lost 8-1 last season), Fargo Davies 5-4 (lost 7-2 last season) and Fargo North 8-1 (lost 5-4 last season).

"It shows the improvements they've made," Wynne said. "It's also a combination of our girls coming back and some of theirs departing."

Two years ago, Central only had seven players out for tennis.

Wynne made it a mission to increase those numbers. They're at 19 or 20 this season.

"I never want to have a KnightRiders tennis program, where they have to combine the two schools to make a team," Wynne said. "Grand Forks has a bunch of younger girls out right now in fifth and sixth grade. I think things are about to change here. Whether it's Red River or Central, there will be a lot of kids who are decent."

Red River is in the same boat as Central last season.

The Roughriders, who went 15-2 and won the East Region tournament a year ago, are now playing varsity meets without any seniors.

Sophomore Ruby Schneider is playing No. 1 singles for the Roughriders.

Last season, Schneider qualified for the state doubles tournament.

"Ruby is a big, long-reach kid who gets to a lot of balls that most people think are going to be point-over," Red River coach Greg LaDouceur said. "She gets to it and is able to place a shot back with good accuracy. She's serving the ball well. She's got a lot of elements to her game for only being a sophomore."

Eighth-grader Irene Tang and sophomore Kalli Block are playing in Red River's top three, while state doubles qualifiers Elizabeth Kilgore and Lauren Endres have expanded their games to singles this season.

"They're two of my more athletic players and they really make their opponents work for everything," LaDouceur said. "It's been fun to watch."

East Grand Forks Senior High boys tennis coach Kyle Hanson expected the Green Wave to be a contender to win the section tournament this year.

But after two players moved away, another suffered a season-ending injury and a fourth didn't come out for the team, the Green Wave have moved three freshmen into the varsity lineup in Kellen Berg, Mason Arnold and Kiptyn Olson.

"I'm very high on them and excited about them," Hanson said. "They're doing the right things in practice."

Junior Aaden Wavra is Senior High's top singles player.

"He is one who can overpower you," Hanson said. "He'll get into matches and definitely try to put balls to the corner and get you moving around more. He's really good at moving the ball around the court."

Senior Luke Hanson is the top doubles player.

"Luke can really rip the ball, so if you're hitting a slow second serve, he will just hammer it," the coach said. "His serve is pretty big and heavy. That helps in doubles. He has a presence at the net. Being such a big guy, it's hard for people to put balls around him. He's got pretty quick hands, too."