NEW ULM, Minn. (MLC Tennis Courts) -- The Bemidji State University tennis team collected seven match wins Saturday to earn its first victory of the 2013 season and first under first-year head coach Mark Fodness, 7-2, over Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn.

After a three-hour delay due to weather, the Beavers and Knights were forced to take the competition indoors. Once underway, the Beavers opened the contest by posting wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles spots to hold a 2-1 edge heading into singles play.

The pair of Caley Westin (So., Virginia, Minn.) and Meg Hafdal (Sr., Virginia, Minn.) took the top doubles match 8-2 before BSU's team of Emily Rollins (So., North Branch, Minn.) and Nicci Hedtke (Fr., Nisswa, Minn.) garnered an 8-0 win in the No. 2 slot. It took a 7-2 win the tiebreaker, but MLC’s duo of Melissa Stibb and Charis Goelzer dropped Carlie Loeks (Fr., Elbow, Lake, Minn.) and Jessica Dulz (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn.), 9-8, at No. 3 doubles.

Bemidji State continued to extend its lead as singles play got underway.

Westin and Hafdal earned straight-sets wins over their opponents 6-2, 6-2 and 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots, respectively. Rollins bounced back from a 7-5 loss in the first set of her No. 3 singles match to post a 6-4 win in the second set and eventually won the match 10-7 in a tie-break. Hedtke turned in a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles before BSU's Jessica Dulz was forced to forfeit her match in the No. 5 spot due to injury. Carlie Loeks won her No. 6 singles match to complete the 7-2 victory.

The victory marked BSU’s first team win since March 17, 2012 when it posted a 5-4 victory over the University of Mary at Gillett Recreation-Fitness Center.

The Beavers, now 1-10 overall and 0-8 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play, return to league play tomorrow with a neutral-site match versus Upper Iowa University in Sartell, Minn. The Beavers and Peacocks open play at 10 a.m. on the indoor courts at Gold's Gym in Sartell, Minn.

For more information on the Bemidji State tennis program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--bsu--