FERGUS FALLS — Just four doubles pairs remain in the Section 8AA individual championship, and two of them represent Fergus Falls.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Fergus Falls girls tennis team sent six girls to compete in the Section 8AA individual tournament.
Facing temperatures into the 90s and 30 mph winds, juniors Signe Millard and Celia Smith played in the singles tournament. Seniors Ali Bredenberg, Ella Black and Kaia Ness, along with sophomore Dillyn Lill took on the doubles.
The pairing of Lill and Bredenberg — which has not lost a match this season — earned the No. 1 seed in the doubles bracket. Black and Ness took the No. 3 seed.
The day began with a round of singles play, and both Smith and Millard were active. Smith squared off against the No. 3 seed in the tournament — Aurora Jabas of Perham/New York Mills — and put up a fight, taking an early 2-1 lead in the first set. Jabas eventually found her footing, though, and came away with a two-set win, 6-2, 6-2.
“Celia had a great season for us,” head coach Jamie Lill said in a statement. “She rose from a ‘bubble’ player for us last season to a consistent name in our doubles lineup.”
Juniors Celia Smith (left) and Signe Millard (right) represented Fergus Falls in singles play at the Section 8AA individual tournament on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.
Contributed / Jamie Lill
Millard faced off against the No. 5 seeded Grace Conzemius from Becker. While Millard made her work, Conzemius earned the 6-3, 6-4 win.
“Signe did an excellent job of utilizing her wide repertoire of shots,” Jamie Lill said. “She kept (Conzemius) guessing with deep ground strokes followed by drop shots, and was able to hit winners from various parts of the court.”
Doubles pairs find success
After the singles concluded, the doubles pairs took the courts. Lill and Bredenberg made swift work of their ROCORI opposition, winning in two sets, 6-1, 6-1.
The duo owns plenty of self-assurance, and it’s rightfully placed. While Bredenberg has played a lot of singles this season, when paired with Lill in doubles, they’ve been almost impossible to stop.
“This pair went into their matches with some confidence, as they have not lost as a duo this year and have some pretty big wins against some pretty impressive teams,” Jamie Lill said.
Sophomore Dillyn Lill (left) and senior Ali Bredenberg (right) went 2-0 as a pair at the Section 8AA individual tournament on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.
Contributed / Jamie Lill
Bredenberg and Lill ran into a little bit of trouble in their second match against the Detroit Lakes pairing of Jaycie Sliper and Audrey Hochgraber. The Otters took an early 4-1 lead in the first set, but the Lakers took three straight games to tie the set at 4-4.
Bredenberg and Lill needed a tiebreaker set to escape, but they came away with another two-set victory to remain undefeated on the season and punch their ticket to the semifinals, 7-6(3), 6-1.
At the same time, Black and Ness were engaged in a pair of brawls. First, they matched up with Addison Drontle and Claire Upgren of ROCORI. The weather conditions played a significant factor in this matchup as Black and Ness have an affinity for lobs, and the high winds made shot-placement unpredictable.
It was a marathon match lasting almost three hours. The Otter duo won the first set 6-4, but lost the second set 6-3. With their season on the line, Black and Ness dug in and won the third set, 6-4.
Seniors Kaia Ness (left) and Ella Black (left) went 2-0 in doubles play at the Section 8AA girls tennis individual tournament on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.
Contributed / Jamie Lill
After three hours of tennis and just a 20 minute break, Black and Ness were right back to battling, this time with Isabelle Wolf and Georgina Walters from Detroit Lakes.
The pair dropped the first set 6-4, but they pulled through with a 7-5 second-set win and a 6-3 third-set win to advance to the semifinals.
“They found another level,” Jamie Lill said. “They played clean and confident tennis and made it clear that they were ready to finish this match in a winning style. This was another great win for these girls. Sometimes the toughest and hardest fought wins are the ugly ones.”
After Oct. 10’s affair, just four doubles teams remain: two from Fergus Falls and two from Becker. The four duos will do battle on Monday, Oct. 19, in Sartell. No. 1 seeded Bredenberg and Lill are lined up to take on No. 4 seeded Faith Bass and Taylor Lisson, while No. 3 seeded Black and Ness will face No. 2 seeded Tess Brown and Bryn Dahlhimer.
Of the four remaining pairs, two will advance to the Class AA state tennis tournament.
Eli Trese is a sports reporter for the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. He can be reached by email at etrese@fergusfallsjournal.com and by telephone at 218-739-7026.