Lourdes' Veldic bangs out section title win, now he wants something much bigger

May 31—Marjan Veldic says his best tennis has yet to surface.

The Lourdes standout is banking on that happening in one week. That's when the Eagles play in the state team tournament on June 7-8 at Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis, followed by Veldic playing in the state individual tournament June 9-10 at Reed-Sweatt.

Veldic, who's ranked No. 1 in Class A, considers himself a work in progress, which he's encouraged by.

On Tuesday at the Rochester Athletic Club, the imposing junior (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) put in enough work to win the Section 1A singles crown for the second straight year. He beat Schaeffer Academy sophomore Asher Monson 6-1, 6-3 in the final after downing Schaeffer senior Faith Monson by the same score in the semifinals.

"I've still got a lot of untapped game that I am going to visit soon," Veldic said, alluding to the state tournament.

A left-hander who owns one of the biggest serves in the state, Veldic used that to create havoc in both his individual section tournament wins Tuesday.

In the final, it wasn't just the speed of the ball that bothered Asher Monson, but the way it moved once it hit the ground.

"He's got that lefty spin," Asher Monson said.

The Schaeffer Academy sophomore created his own problems for Veldic, at least at times. He stayed in most games with his consistent strokes, an element that can be uneven for Veldic.

Knowing he was a vast underdog took pressure away from Monson. He was able to enjoy the experience.

"I thought I played pretty well," Monson said. "It was really fun playing (Veldic). He's the top kid in our section and the state. But I'm really happy with things. I think I've improved a lot since last year. I've put a lot into it."

Lourdes coach Steve Tacl wants the same thing for Veldic that Veldic wants for himself. It's to not just have him show up at the state tournament, but to accomplish something large.

As the No. 1-ranked player in Class A, that large thing would be a state championship. Tacl knows that Veldic is capable of it. But he also knows his star has plenty still to work on.

"I'd like to see him add some more depth to his game and not just have a big serve," Tacl said. "He needs to put points together, which he can do well at times."

Veldic has a certain approach he intends to take to state. It's to just let things flow and play with confidence.

"I want to play freely a little bit more," he said. "I'm going to do my best and hope it all goes well."

If Lourdes seniors Ethan Leeser and Freddie Suhler weren't playing in the Class A state individual tennis tournament together next week, they'd have likely thought of something else to do together.

But they punched their ticket to state on Tuesday and were in anything but a complaining mood about it.

There's nowhere they'd rather be — together — than playing tennis at state. They earned the right on Tuesday with a pair of 6-1, 6-1 wins in the Section 1A tournament, the second one coming in the final against Lourdes teammates Easton Blissenbach and Charlie Young.

"We are really good friends, so that is a start to why we are so happy about this," said Suhler, who like Leeser is a senior.

They also like the way they complement each other. Leeser is likely the second best player on the team behind No. 1-ranked Marjan Veldic. Leeser normally plays singles and has the consistent kind of baseline game that matches up nicely with Suhler's active net game.

That combination of things was way too much against both their doubles foes in the semifinals and final.

"Freddie is the best doubles player that I've played with," Leeser said. "When you have a partner who you really trust will finish their ground strokes and overheads, it really helps. I know he's going to make his shots, so I am always preparing for the next one."

—The Lake City combination of Ryan Heise and Eli Miller will be Section 1A's other doubles combination at state. After beating Winona Cotter's Hamilton Brewer and Logan Granseth in the third-place match, they downed Blissenbach and Young 6-0, 6-3 in the true second-place match.

The top two section finishers in singles and doubles reach the state tournament. Schaeffer's Asher Monson will join Veldic as Section 1A's other singles representative.

Monson becomes the first Schaeffer player to ever reach the state tournament.

SINGLES

Semifinals: Marjan Veldic (Lourdes) def. Faith Monson (Schaeffer Academy) 6-1, 6-3; Asher Monson (Schaeffer Academy) def. Evan Ritter (Lourdes) 7-5, 7-6. Final: Veldic (Lourdes) def. A. Monson 6-1, 6-3. Third place: Ritter (Lourdes) def. Faith Monson 5-7, 6-0, 6-2.

DOUBLES

Semifinals: Ethan Leeser/Freddie Suhler (Lourdes) def. Ryan Heise/Eli Miller (Lake City) 6-1, 6-1; Easton Blissenbach/Charlie Young (Lourdes) def. Hamilton Brewer/Logan Granseth (Winona Cotter) 6-1, 7-5. Final: Leeser/Suhler (Lourdes) def. Blissenbach/Young (Lourdes) 6-1, 6-1. Third place: Heise/Miller (Lake City) def. Brewer/Granseth (Winona Cotter) 6-1, 7-5. True second: Heise/Miller (Lake City) def. Young/Blissenbach 6-0, 6-3.