Once every lifetime or so, you get a moment to shine. Our daughter Stephanie has been fortunate. She’s had a couple of those moments, but the biggest one came last week at the state tennis tournament As the fourth singles player, Steph was fortunate to be part of a talented Cardinal squad. She got pasted pretty good in her opening match of the tournament Tuesday. Against her Breck School opponent, she was definitely out-matched. Yet, she’s scrappy and pesky, and she got under her opponent’s nerves a time or two. She won a game in the first set and two in the second before succumbing. The Cards’ fate was the same. Winners in the first match were stalwart Kaytlin Kuefler and the outstanding duo of Mackenzie Brown and Chelsey Watson. Bottom line: Breck 5, Annandale 2. Now in the consolation bracket, it’s safe to say none of the girls wanted to go two and out at state. There’s nothing wrong with losing, but it just isn’t any fun. The next match was against Roseau, the champ of section 8A. At first blush, I thought Roseau would be a piece of cake, and we would win the match 5-2 or even 6-1 or 7-0. But more than 5,700 girls play tennis in the state. A relative handful – 5-7 percent – make it to the tournament, and by the time the matches had started it was obvious it was anybody’s ball game – your opponent always wants it as bad as you do. In an evenly played match, Stephanie lost the first round 6-4. It was hard fought by both players – Steph was better on her feet but her opponent was stronger. Steph perhaps had a bigger arsenal of shots, but her opponent had a more consistent and powerful serve. Steph battled to win the second set 6-4. I don’t like bringing God into sports, but about three-quarters of the way through that set I prayed that Steph could get the match to a third set – to be able to say she won a set a state. By this time, approaching two hours, players were getting done with their matches. About midway into third set, everyone moved to the main arena. There were just two matches left in progress: Amber Gallaway’s and Stephanie’s. With wins by Brown and Watson, Kuefler and the second doubles team of Ariana Arlt and Kelly Mendel, the Cardinals needed to win one of the two remaining matches to make it to the consolation final. After winning her first set, Gallaway ran out of steam and lost in three. That left Stephanie and Ingrid Mlodzdik on court 1 of a center with 11 courts. While tennis is not a big spectator sport, when you’re in a fieldhouse and there are hundred or so parents and players hanging around, everyone migrates to who’s ever left playing. Three hours into the match, at 9 p.m., it was Steph and Mlodzdik. Leading 5-3 in the third set, Steph had a chance to finish it, but Mlodzdik battled back. I don’t recall all of the details, but the momentum swung. Steph trailed 6-5 and one more loss would have ended the game and the season. At one point during a long rally Mlodzdik had Steph running all over the court. Chasing a shot, she fell into the back tarp that is the boundary before the wall. The kid got up, made the next shot but lost that point after a couple more returns. About that time, with play stopped, she appeared to be crying. Another dad asked me, "What is she doing?" "I think she’s mad," I said. She was gasping for breath. She collected herself and signaled to play on. Somehow, Steph got the match to the tiebreaker: The first player to seven points wins; you must win by two. By now it was approaching 9:30. It didn’t start out well. Steph got down 0-2 and then 1-4. The volleys turned deliberate. "It’s like playing catch," a dad said. "My eyes are getting tired," another remarked. The girls were playing not to make a mistake in this battle of attrition. Stephanie rallied, but then came the point of elimination: Trailing 4-6, this marathon match was about to end, one way or the other. Facing match point, she rallied to 5-6, and then 6-6. Stephanie, and the Cards, had new life. The Annandale girls might be spending another night in Minneapolis, I thought. Somehow, Steph won the next point after a long rally. The momentum had clearly shifted. Annandale fans sensed that something good might happen. Leading 7-6 the volley began like so many others. As fans, we anticipated each shot. Back and forth. Then a shot went out-of-bounds, and there was that moment of victory and defeat. Stephanie had prevailed. The girls shook, and Stephanie sat down on her bench, exhausted but victorious before she got stormed by her teammates. In sports and sometimes in life, it seems like you often lose as much or more than you win. On this night, Steph won and the Cards got to live for another day. It’s the preferred choice for any serious competitor: they come to play.
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