Dickinson triumphs over Bismarck Century in a thrilling 5-4 Victory

Apr. 19—DICKINSON — In a thrilling victory on Tuesday, the co-op of Dickinson High School, Trinity Catholic School and Hope Christian Academy won their home opener against Bismarck Century in a highly competitive match that ended with a 5-4 victory of Dickinson.

Dickinson entered the pairing ranked one position higher at third in the WDA coaches poll, while the Patriots fell just behind at fourth. If the match on Tuesday is an indication of the success of the coaches in ranking the teams, both teams showed that they were appropriately placed among their peers on the western side of the state.

Multiple tie breaking sets would be the story as DHS showed their strength in the individual matchups, winning four of the six matches, needing only a single victory in doubles to claim the W — a challenge that nearly failed to materialize. Dickinson managed to get the win needed, but with Century winning two of the three doubles it would be close.

State ranked, Valeria Bradley (6) showed mental strength alongside her talents, coming away with a win in singles and doubles in a stunning personal performance. Her first battle was against junior Ericka Lee, a three sport athlete whose ground stroke kept Bradley on her toes throughout. The match went to two sets (6-1, 7-6(4)).

"[Lee] was moving her around pretty good, but she stayed in it and kept focus," Shane Bradley, DHS JV coach, said. "It was back and forth, but there was at one point where [Lee] double faulted and that was kind of the game changer and Valeria didn't lose a point after that."

Valeria Bradley said she recognized her opponents athleticism early and knew that it would feature in their match early, but said that she hoped her endurance and abilities to rally would clinch the win late in sets. Bradley refused to be shaken during the 6-4 tie breaker, crediting her confidence to her faith.

"At the end of the second set, [Lee] came back and was hitting her shots really well. In the tie breaker, we both did really well. I was just trying to hit it high and deep," Valeria Bradley said. "I know I can't do it alone, so I always ask God to help me. He has always been with us."

Freshman Shayna Klitzke, Dickinson's No. 2, won her singles match against senior Ashley Kindem in two sets (6-1, 6-2) with moderate ease, but gave tremendous respect to her opponent. Early on, Klitzke was able to find a chink in her opponent's armor and attacked it early and often.

"At the end of the first set I was hitting pretty well and had a lot of confidence that I was going to win the second one," Klitzke said. "I was focusing on hitting deep to her backhand, because I realized that was probably her weaker side and just tried to be more consistent with my shots as well."

Senior Rachel Dazell and junior Emma Stillings would also come out on top in their singles matches, giving DHS the advantage going into doubles, which was where Century had the upper hand and took advantage of it.

In the two doubles that DHS lost it would go into the third sets. First being Klitzke and freshman Morgan Daley battling Lee and Kindem (6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4). Dazell and Alexis Wilson partnered together for the Midgets No. 3 doubles, winning their first set, but would end up losing to Mykaely Jorgensen and Hannah Dorrheim, who shut them out in the second set (4-6, 6-0, 7-5).

Bradley and Stillings would answer the call to give DHS the go-ahead win, defeating eighth grader Ava Dunlap and sophomore Kate Miller in two sets (7-6(6), 6-4).

The match up was an opportunity for both teams to prove their abilities and to get acquainted on the outdoor courts early in the season. With the recent winter weather conditions having kept DHS indoors, the athletes acknowledged that the ability to stay relaxed and confident was the most important lesson of the day. As the team heads to Mandan on Thursday, for their next varsity match, they remain confident in keeping the momentum going.

"I think we are all doing really well. We are getting more comfortable with our surroundings and the outdoor factors," Klitzke said. "Our team is pretty good this year, I'm confident that we'll try our hardest and not always worry about winning, but just getting better while having fun."