Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm’s Karlee Prahl returns a shot during a play-in round match of the Section 2AA Girls Tennis Tournament on Monday at New Ulm High School.

NEW ULM — Despite high temperatures and strong winds on Monday at New Ulm High School, the Eagles cruised to a 6-1 win over Worthington in the play-in round of the Section 2AA Girls Tennis Tournament.

While wind is always a factor up at NUHS, the New Ulm Municipal Airport had wind speed registering in at more than 17 miles per hour during the meet Monday.

That may have felt like a blessing at times to beat the 90-degree temperatures, but it also made some things tougher. The added challenges certainly didn’t show for the Eagles on the scorecard, however.

No. 1 singles player and junior Karlee Prahl looked in top shape for the most part on Monday despite struggling with her serve due to the wind.

She ended up defeating Hannah McNab 6-0, 6-1.

“I think that today, the biggest factor that was difficult to get over was the environment, the wind, the heat more than anything,” Prahl said. “My serve — it’s a little shaky right now, but everything else is good.”

Prahl, who saw a share of serves go into the top of the net, said getting the toss down on her serve was the toughest part on Monday and that eventually she had to pull back a bit.

At No. 2 singles, senior Lydia King downed Sadie Nickel 6-0, 6-3.

King also said the wind affected her serve and that Nickel had a solid defense at the net.

“The wind was definitely a factor today, so you can’t throw your serve toss as high, and that’s kind of hard for me,” King said. “But she was pretty good at defending when I was at the net, so I didn’t really go up there. So consistency was definitely a key factor today and placing shots and just hitting it where she couldn’t reach it.”

The Eagles were without their regular No. 3 singles player in Joci Pettersen, so Carmen Schotzko bumped up to No. 3 singles on Monday, while alternate Taylor Hauenstein filled in at No. 4 singles.

Pettersen suffered a bad ankle sprain during the Eagles’ last away meet at Belle Plaine last Friday, which will shut her down the remainder of the season.

Schotzko played well for the Eagles despite the step up to No. 3 singles as she defeated Taylor Michelson 6-1, 6-1. Forced to fill in on short notice, Hauenstein had a close first set against Kah Blu Moo but ended up falling 7-6 (5), 6-1.

The Eagles’ doubles teams all controlled the action and won every doubles match Monday, with the No. 1 singles team of Lana Braun and Peyton Kveno defeating Angie Dailey and Tiana Garcia 6-1, 6-0. At No. 2 doubles, Lexi Schneider and Aubrey Demarais defeated Eleanor Teerink and Cassie Schulz 6-2, 6-4, while the No. 3 doubles team of Hannah Davey and Morgan Hauenstein shut out Makayla Phouangphet and Emma Hietbrink 6-0, 6-0.

Winning the play-in round of the Section 2AA tourney was a nice boost of confidence for the Eagles and a strong way to finish up their final home meet of the season.

However, they now have to deal with a powerhouse in Prior Lake, the fifth seed in the tournament and the No. 8-ranked Class AA team in the state.

Eagles head coach Pete Engeldinger said his team knows what to expect, though, and his players are excited for the challenge.

“They know the deal, they know the sport, tennis is that way,” Engeldinger said. “They know where some of those teams are in the rankings. Knowing Prior Lake is No. 8 ranked in the state in AA just means that they’re especially good. They’re always good in girls [tennis], and I think [our players] are psyched about it. It’s fun to go up against really good players.

“We don’t do some motivational thing or whatever … but you want to finish well, finish strong. We’re missing Joci, so everyone’s got to play up a little higher on that singles front. I think it’s a great opportunity for them and some of our girls especially are going to be back next year to get the chance to see Prior Lake, and that’s who we have to beat for individuals, so it’ll be really good.”

King, one of the team’s senior leaders, said Tuesday’s showdown with Prior Lake is about being there for each other and staying consistent.

“You kind of just have to keep a positive atmosphere and keep leaning on your team for support,” King said. “[Tuesday] it’s just about trying your best and trying to get consistency and just being there and being supportive.”

Prahl, in her first playoffs with a new varsity team after moving from Litchfield, said she’s not treating this year’s playoffs any differently.

“Honestly, it’s just another match,” Prahl said. “Just have your head in there … no expectations.”

The third round of the team tournament is Thursday at the high seed. The individual portion of the tournament takes place the following week at Gustavus Adolphus College.