May 2—DICKINSON — The Dickinson Midgets moved around their doubles partners, trying to counter Bismarck High's deep roster of upperclassmen, but their efforts would prove to be in vain. The Demons took the upper hand, winning two out of three doubles matches, to earn their second win of the season.

Bismarck High's first victory came against Williston, 7-2, just prior to their match against Dickinson. The Midgets also picked up a 7-2 win against the Coyotes before their home match against the Demons. This demonstrated that the two teams were closely matched in skill, and the narrow 5-4 finish was well predicted.

The loss against Bismarck High marked the Midgets' first home loss of the season, leaving them in the middle of the pack in the WDA standings with a 3-2 record.

Valeria Bradley, Dickinson's No. 1, won against Peyton Kovash with a near-perfect match of 6-1, 6-0. Bradley currently holds a 3-1 singles record and has yet to lose a doubles match.

Freshman Shayna Klitzke remains undefeated in singles (4-0), after a hard-fought 6-2, 6-3 battle against Sidney Hall. Junior Emma Stillings, Dickinson's No. 6, is also defending a 4-0 winning record. Stillings dug deep, competing to a three-set triumph against senior Jami Bachmeier. She won the first set 6-4, but Bachmeier responded with her own 6-4 victory in the second set. Stillings bounced back and took the third set with a 6-2 win.

The Midgets lost three of their singles matches, which left them tied going into the doubles, a challenging endeavor for the young Dickinson team. The coaching staff, Lia and Shane Bradley, spread out their upperclassmen, Valeria Bradley, Julianne Kadrmas, and Rachel Dazell, among the three doubles teams. It was the first time for each of the pairings.

Klitzke and Bradley won their doubles match against Hall and Brace Haider, but only after a grueling first-set tiebreaker, which they won 6-3. They settled in nicely, winning the second set 6-2.

Unfortunately for the home side of the Midgets, they were unable to come away with any further wins on the day, losing 5-4. The Morgan Daley and Stillings pairing managed to score points in their first set, losing 6-2, 6-0. The Dazell sisters, Rachel and Grace, played together in the No. 3 doubles match and managed three points in their first set, losing 6-3, 6-0.

Dickinson will be on the road for the first week of May, facing the biggest challenges of the regular season. On Tuesday, May 2, they will face WDA's No. 2-ranked team, Bismarck Legacy, before facing the No. 1 ranked Minot team on Thursday, May 4.