GRAND FORKS — Minot held a scrimmage against Valley City during the first week of the season in August.
“At that time, we knew they were legit,” Minot coach Scott DeLorme said.
The Hi-Liners were, indeed, legit. But they were still no problem for the new dynasty in North Dakota girls tennis.
Minot won its third state championship in the last four years, beating Valley City 4-1 in Thursday’s final at Choice Health and Fitness.
The Majettes finished the season 22-0, ran their unbeaten streak to 44 in a row and are now 84-1 over the last four seasons. The lone loss was in the 2024 finals to Valley City.
“Our girls have experienced this a few times now,” DeLorme said, “wins and losses, we’ve gone through both. But ultimately, in the championship match, we played really well.”
Minot earned wins at two singles positions and both doubles positions in the final, handing Valley City its first loss of the season (17-1).
Kyllie Fettig won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, while eighth-grader Sydney Brown won a key match at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-3.
“She’s gotten better and better,” DeLorme said of Brown. “She’s only an eighth grader. So, to step into that situation. . . we had a lot of confidence in her, but we also told her that we have five really good, experienced players ahead of her. So, she’s just going to go out and play.”
Although Valley City tried to strengthen its doubles spots for the final, it didn’t work against Minot.
Ava Thuner and Grace Olson won 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 1 spot, while Ella Sherven and McKenna Odahlen won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2.
“We had multiple lineups we could have thrown at them,” DeLorme said. “The one we threw at them was kind of a last-minute thing. We had it written down, but didn’t think we’d go with it. We presented it to the girls. They said, ‘Let’s do it.’ With the doubles teams we had — that’s the No. 1 seed in the West and No. 5 seed in the West — when you can put them in a doubles situation and still have Kyllie Fettig at No. 1 singles, you feel pretty good about things.”
Minot became the first team to repeat as North Dakota girls tennis champions since Grand Forks Red River won 14 in a row from 2002-15.
The last West Region team to repeat as state champions was Minot Ryan in 1982 and 1983.
“Obviously, it’s pretty cool,” DeLorme said. “It’s a credit to all of these girls.”
Valley City’s Georgia Zaun competes against Bismarck Century’s Jenny Pitcher in No. 1 singles in the opening round of the North Dakota state tennis tournament at Choice Health and Fitness on May 28, 2026.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Minot 4, Valley City 1
Singles
1. Fettig, Min, over Zaun 6-3, 6-2; 2. K. Nielsen, VC, over A. Sherven 6-2, 6-0; 3. Brown, Min, over Westman 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
1. Thuner-Olson, Min, over 6-2, 6-3; 2. E. Sherven-Odahlen, Min, over Svenningsen-Sufficool 6-3, 6-4
Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.