CHIPPING AWAY — Fairmont Cardinal second singles player Briana Joseph chips a forehand return during postseason tennis action. Joseph posted back-to-back set wins during the Cardinals’ Class A state team tournament’s third-place match against Providence Academy on Wednesday at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

MINNEAPOLIS — The first trip to the girls tennis state team tournament in 27 years by the Fairmont Cardinals ended on Wednesday in heartbreaking fashion.

Fairmont coach Laura Olsen said the Cardinals loss to Providence Academy in the Class A third-place match, “could weigh on the girls a little, but they have so much to be proud of.”

Playing at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center, the Cardinals lost to eventual state champion Breck, 7-0, in the semifinals Wednesday morning before being edged by Providence Academy, 4-3, in the third-place match Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re just grateful for the experience,” said Olsen. “It (the third-place match) could have gone either way. I think our kids realized that they could play with a ranked team like Providence Academy.”

The Section 2 champion Cardinals won three of four singles, but the Section 5 champion Lions swept the doubles — winning two of them in tiebreakers — to pull out the victory.

“I think our kids this week have played the best tennis of their careers,” said Olsen. “The big thing is to learn from things even when they don’t go your way.”

Seniors Claire Nemmers and Briana Joseph each closed out their six-year Cardinal careers with victories against the Lions.

Nemmers won 6-4, 6-1, at No. 1 singles, while Joseph won 7-5, 6-2 at the No. 2 position. Senior Maggy Totzke won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

“We lose a big senior group,” said Olsen. “That will be tough to replace. But I’m excited about the program’s future because of how much those seniors helped our young players.

Earlier in the day against Breck in the semifinals, the Cardinals lost six of the seven matches in straight sets, but were competitive.

“We tell the team, the score doesn’t always reflect how you played,” Olsen said. “We were playing a level of competition we’ve never seen before. I’m really proud of the team. They stepped up for the match.”

At No. 2 singles, Joseph, lost the first set and then regrouped to win the second set, 7-5, to send the match to a tiebreaker. It was 4-4 in the tiebreaker before Breck’s Aditi Nadkarni won 10-6.

At No. 2 doubles, Libby Totzke and Hope Klanderud had leads in each set before Breck’s Emily Lin and Amelia Bras rallied for a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The individual portion of the Class A state meet will begin today — 8 a.m. for singles and 10 a.m. for doubles — with two Fairmont doubles teams competing back at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center.

Maggy Totzke and Libby Totzke will face Crookston’s Hayden Winjum and Halle Winjum, while Fairmont teammates Ellie Hernes and Lauren Davis will face Virginia’s Ella Lamppa and Ava Fink in the first round. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals this afternoon.

In the individual singles tournament, Blue Earth Area’s Marissa Benz will face Isabelle Einess of Minnehaha Academy in the first round today.

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Class A State Team

Girls Tennis Semifinal

Breck 7, Fairmont 0

Singles

No. 1: Ellie Pirtl, Breck, def. Claire Nemmers, 6-2, 6-0.

No. 2: Aditi Nadkarni, Breck, def. Briana Joseph, 6-2, 5-7, 10-6.

No. 3: Ava Warford, Breck, def. Maggy Totzke, 6-2, 6-2.

No. 4: Margot Gagerman, Breck, def. Abi Peyman, 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles:

No. 1: Witt Mehbod/Petra Lyon, Breck, def. Ellie Hernes/Lauren Davis, 6-2, 6-0.

No. 2: Emily Lin/Amelia Bras, Breck, def. Libby Totzke/Hope Klanderud, 6-4, 6-3.

No. 3: Christina Radichel/Ava Jaffe, Breck, def. Anika Haugen/Johanna Petschke, 6-1, 6-2.

THIRD PLACE

Providence Academy 4, Fairmont 3

Singles

No. 1: Claire Nemmers, Fairmont, def. Annika Harberts, 6-4, 6-1.

No. 2: Briana Joseph, Fairmont, def. Gabriella Noren, 7-5, 6-2.

No. 3: Maggy Totzke, Fairmont, def. Koralyn Horstman, 6-1, 6-1.

No. 4: Delaney Flanigan, Providence, def. Abi Peyman, 7-6, 6-3.

Doubles

No. 1: Emma Speier/Lisey Langhus, Providence, def. Ellie Hernes/Laura Davis, 6-3, 7-6.

No. 2: Olivia Eck/Katelyn Clements, Providence, def. Libby Totzke/Hope Klanderud, 0-6, 7-5, 10-8.

No. 3: Ella Flynn/Marie Heyda, Providence, def. Anika Haugen/Johanna Petschke, 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.

CLASS A STATE TOURNAMENT

At Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center

Results Wednesday

Semifinals

Breck 7, Fairmont 0

Litchfield 6, Providence Academy 1

Consolation championship

Rochester Lourdes 5, Pine City 2

Third place

Providence Academy 4, Fairmont 3

Championship

Breck 7, Litchfield 0