Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Ava Underberg of St. Edmond returns a shot at Butler Courts.

The St. Edmond girls tennis team showed they are ready for the spotlight once again this season, besting Carroll Kuemper here Thursday evening, 7-2.

From 2021-24, the Gaels dropped four straight duals to the Knights, winning just three matches total. They have now won back-to-back duals, having also bested Kuemper this past spring, 6-3.

“I am super proud of the way the girls played,” SEHS head coach Shawn Neverman said. “Kuemper is a team that is a traditional powerhouse in tennis, so to have two straight wins over them says a lot about our program.

“I hope the girls can enjoy this one and get themselves prepared to finish out the week strong.”

Ava Underberg, Abby Huss, Chloe Palmer, Olivia Andrew and Sophia Schlienz earned singles wins. St. Edmond added a pair of victories in doubles from Ava Andrew and Huss, along with Olivia Andrew and Schlienz.

“We saw a lot of really good tennis from the girls throughout the meet,” Neverman said. “Of course, we still have room to improve, but I’m excited with what I have seen out of them to start the year.”

Picking up a junior varsity win for the Gaels was Lucy Midtling in singles along with Midtling and Maggie Flaherty, Nina Smith and Avenlee Hayek, and Lizzy Tiernan and Mary Ella Gruver in doubles.

St. Edmond heads to Storm Lake on Friday beginning at 4 p.m.