POWERFUL BACKHAND — Fairmont Cardinal first singles player Claire Nemmers hammers a backhand winner during girls tennis postseason action. Nemmers and the Cardinals coasted to a 7-0 quarterfinal victory over Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/West Central Area during Class A state team tennis action Tuesday at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

MINNEAPOLIS — Many athletes have a customary routine before a competition.

Their quarterfinal match on Tuesday at the Class A girls tennis state tournament at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center challenged that normalcy for the Fairmont Cardinals.

“We didn’t have our normal team warmup,” said Cardinals head coach Laura Olsen. “And, we never played at 8 a.m. So, our mentality was we all knew that it would take a while to get going and we would adjust along the way.”

The Cardinals adjusted smoothly as they swept the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta/West Central Area Tigers, 7-0, to advance to today’s semifinals against the Breck School. Breck advanced with a 5-2 quarterfinal victory over Rochester Lourdes.

The Cardinals dominated their quarterfinal match, winning all four singles and all three doubles matches in straight sets.

“We didn’t know what to expect (from the Tigers),” Olsen said. “We only had one common opponent this season — Luverne. They played Luverne early in the season. Lineups change and players improve as the season goes on.”

Olsen told the Cardinals to approach the match, “focused on your own skills. Play your own game and make adjustments that have to be made.”

Claire Nemmers got the Cardinals started with a victory at No. 1 singles. Nemmers, a senior, led 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 in the first set over Abbigail Athey before winning 6-3. She won the second set, 6-1.

Briana Joseph, a senior, won 6-2, 6-1 over Kassidy Girard at No. 2 singles and Maggy Totzke, a senior, was flawless with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 3 singles over Catherine Kehoe. Sophomore Abi Peyman completed the singles sweep for the Cardinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Claire Stark at the No. 4 position.

Seniors Ellie Hernes and Laura Davis teamed for a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 1 doubles. Senior Libby Totzke and sophomore Hope Klanderud won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. Juniors Anika Haugen and Johanna Petschke earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 3 doubles.

In today’s semifinals at 8 a.m., the Cardinals will face the top-ranked team in Class A. Breck had an 8-5 regular-season record before winning the Section 4 title. All five of Breck’s regular-season losses were to Class AA teams. Four of the losses were to teams ranked in the Class AA Top Ten. Two of those losses were by 4-3 scores.

“This (victory) was a good way to start our state tournament,” said Olsen. “I think the team is excited for the competition (today) and for the experience.”

The Breck/Fairmont winner will play for the championship at 4 p.m. today back at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis. The loser will play in the third-place match at 2 p.m.

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Class A State Team Quarterfinal

FAIRMONT 7, MORRIS AREA/C-A/WCA 0

Singles Bracket

• No. 1: Claire Nemmers (FMT) def. Abbigail Athey, 6-3, 6-1.

• No. 2: Briana Joseph (FMT) def. Kassidy Girard, 6-2, 6-1.

• No. 3: Maggy Totzke (FMT) def. Catherine Kehoe, 6-0, 6-0.

• No. 4: Abi Peyman (FMT) def. Claire Stark, 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles Bracket

• No. 1: Ellie Hernes-Lauren Davis (FMT) def. Kjersten Nibbe-Hope Sperr, 6-1, 6-0.

• No. 2: Libby Totzke-Hope Klanderud (FMT) def. Lakia Manska-Breanna Schmidgall, 6-1, 6-2.

• No. 3: Anika Haugen-Johanna Petschke (FMT) def. Lydia Fynbohl-Elizabeth Pollard, 6-3, 6-2.