It’s been a long time since any high school sports have been played due to the coronavirus pandemic, but girls tennis season got underway Thursday in Gladstone with the Braves hosting the Marquette Redettes.

The talented Redettes started their season with a 8-0 sweep, dropping just one set.

“The first match of the year is always tough,” Braves coach Ryan Barron said. “The girls always come out so tense and they end up with many unforced errors. Those will definitely decrease throughout the year.”

Both teams lost a strong group of seniors to graduation, so there were new players playing in different flights all over.

Marquette's Campbell Kallio hits a return shot in a No. 1 singles match against Gladstone's Alaina Trudeau on Thursday in Gladstone. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Austin Hemmingson)

“Half of my squad today has never played a match at the varsity level,” Barron said. “I see lots of promise with this group of girls.”

Redettes coach Derek Sandstrom saw similar things.

“I saw a lot of jitters. We lost our Nos. 1 and 2 singles, all of our No. 1 doubles and half of our No. 2 doubles, so everybody moved up two spots in most cases,” he said. “Some girls had their first look at singles coming over from doubles, and that was interesting for them.

“There were just a lot of nerves…. Sometimes in practice you see certain things in drills that you don’t when you start a match.”

Sandstrom was just happy to see his girls playing again.

Marquette's Nistha Gautam hits a return shot in a No. 4 doubles match on Thursday in Gladstone. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Austin Hemmingson)

“It’s just good to be playing tennis with all the COVID(-19) mess going on. It’s just nice to see the kids smiling and playing,” he said. “We both have developing teams. What it looks like now will probably be different in September.”

One of the more competitive matches came at No. 1 singles, as Marquette’s Campbell Kallio downed Gladstone’s Alaina Trudeau, 6-2, 6-3. Each player moved up to No. 1 this year.

Sandstrom felt both players performed well.

“I thought their girl played really well and I thought Campbell played really well,” he said. “It’s a new game when you are playing somebody else’s best player all the time, so moving No. 3 singles to No. 1 singles is a jump, even though it’s only two spots.”

Marquette rolled in the rest of the singles matches, as Haddie Ketzenberger won 6-1, 6-1 over Rachel Krouth at No. 2; Ruth Hummell took down Addison Trombley 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3; and Jullianna Golisek swept Megan Robinson in straight sets at No. 4.

Marquette also swept doubles, with Zoey Brian and Bre Sandstrom winning 6-1, 7-5 over Marnnea LaFave and Chloe Charlebois at No. 1; Alyson LaBelle and Hannah Young defeating Emma Wagner and Alesha Marenger 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2; and Elina Brazeau and Kaia Miller picking up a 6-3, 6-4 win over Montgomery Pepin and Maggie Buckley at No. 3.

The tandem of Lahna Castor and Sophia Rosa picked up Gladstone’s lone win of a set at No. 4 doubles, but Marquette’s Nistha Gautam and Sam Heikkila still picked up the victory, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5).

On Monday, Marquette hosts Kingsford while Gladstone will entertain Escanaba.