MITCHELL — Beaming with confidence and anticipation, the Mitchell girls tennis team is ready for Thursday to arrive. The Kernels will compete in the Class AA state tennis championship on Oct. 10-11 in Rapid City following a successful year.
Mitchell took home the Eastern South Dakota Conference championship last week in convincing fashion, winning six of the nine flights for the event. ADVERTISEMENT For an experienced group the Kernels have on this year’s roster, the ESD meet was a successful test for how the girls handled pressure tennis, given the tournament-style format used similar to the state meet. “We kind of went into that tournament with a bullseye on our back,” Kernel tennis head coach Pat Moller said.
“There were a lot of individuals and teams that were marking us on the bracket and saying, ‘We need to end those matches,’ and our girls came through really well.” Mitchell posted a 15-2 dual record this season in addition to the ESD title and a second-place finish at the Rapid City Invitational on Aug. 30, won by host Rapid City Stevens, which Moller marked as the team to beat at the state tournament, along with defending champion Sioux Falls Lincoln.
Throughout the season, the team has relied on past experiences, especially in matches that might’ve proven too tough to handle in the past. Each Kernel tennis player had moments to shine in tough spots, only adding to the exuberance the team is feeling ahead of the state meet. “A lot of us showed cou.