Cardinals start 2026 with a win
Fairmont tennis takes down Maple River
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FAIRMONT - It wasn't the longest match Laura Olsen had seen in her head coaching career. But Ada Edmundson's 2.5-hour battle with Brielle Brown from Maple River did more than just give Fairmont another point during Tuesday afternoon's competition. It sealed the Cardinals’ first win of 2026.
Fairmont's 6-1 victory over the Eagles showed Olsen and her coaching staff many things. While their original summer training regimen was cut short due to the construction of the high school's new tennis courts, seeing these results firsthand was an immediate positive.
"I was really pleased with how our girls came out ready to play," Olsen said. "We missed out on almost our entire summer season, when we usually have some camps and lots of time on the court together. August 5th was the first time the girls got on the court together on their own."
"Even for us as coaches, it was hard to know where everyone was at coming into the season, and we only had a couple of days of practice to figure out a lineup," she continued. "So I'm proud of the girls for putting in some time in the offseason on their own, and also how they showed up today."
Singles
The Cardinals got things started with a pair of quick wins from seniors Emelia Klanderud and Carly Gustafson. Klanderud defeated Kennedi Oliver 6-0, 6-0. Gustafson was nearly as impressive in her victory over Haddie Sharky, winning 6-1 before her 6-4 final blow.
Allison Slama had the lone Fairmont defeat of the day. The loss to Maple River's Tabitha Barkosky came from consecutive 6-2 sets. But that final score didn't fairly show the whole story. Slama battled competitively throughout the match, hitting tough shots and sustaining rallies. Olsen was happy with what her freshman talent showed.
"That's the tough thing about tennis. A lot of times, the score doesn't reflect what happened in the middle of that match," Olsen said. "Allison played an incredible match today against a really good opponent. And sometimes you just have to hand it to your opponent with how much progress they've made since last year."
Edmundson wrapped up this side of the court with her 6-4, 6-3 win over Brown. The heat from the hot sun wore down both athletes as the match went on. But it was the Cardinal eighth-grader who turned up the aggressiveness late to pull through.
"I told her on one of our changeovers that this builds character. Being able to grind it out on a hot day in a really long match," Olsen said. "She's going to remember that, and it's just going to get her better for the future."
Doubles
Another challenge early in the season is finding the right athletes to pair together in doubles. Little practice time doesn't allow many opportunities to see who plays the best with another individual. While there is bound to be some shifting between pairings for the majority of the fall, Tuesday's combination worked quite well. Well enough to get the three-match sweep.
Cadleigh Jobe and Ella Dresselhaus bested Merrit Ward and Kaelyn Thomas 3-6, 7-6, 12-10. Katherine Zelaya and Addison Toothaker dismantled Kate Davis and Emma McFarland, 6-3, 3-0. Ellena Laven and Malana Nigon took down Reagan Stevens and Braya Hunsted in consecutive 6-1 sets.
"You always have to fine-tune it, figure out who plays well together and who complements each other," Olsen said. "But I thought our doubles lineup tonight was really good. They complemented each other well. All three teams played well together and set each other up at the net and won some big points when needed."
Fairmont will continue its season this Thursday with another home match against Worthington. First serves are set to begin at 4:30 p.m. on both courts.