IRON RIVER – Prior to Thursday, the Norway Knights girls tennis team hadn’t defeated West Iron County since the school restarted the program in 2020.

But that streak is over now because the Knights fought off the Wykons 5-3 at the Nelson Field tennis courts in Iron River.

The match could have gone either way, but Norway secured the win by earning three three-set victories.

“(Our players) showed grit and depth throughout the lineup, battling in every flight and proving they can handle pressure situations,” Norway coach Cassandra Gustafson said. “Their balanced effort secured the overall team victory over a strong West Iron County squad.”

The deciding match came at No. 4 doubles where Myah Gilroy and Amara Humphrey edged Rochelle Bear and Madison Cronkright 6-4, 6-7, 10-6.

Norway’s No. 3 doubles duo Emily Carlson and Chloe Mitchem added the second doubles tiebreaker win, outlasting Marlee Benson and Kendall McDonald 6-4, 1-6, 14-12.

The No. 1 singles match also went the distance as Norway junior Jordyn Moln recovered after a first-set defeat to squeak past Wykon sophomore Grace Smith 2-6, 6-4, 10-8.

“I am so proud of how she came back after the first set and how she dealt with the heat and the pressure that WIC brought,” Gustafson said of Moln’s effort.

Norway’s other wins came at No. 2 and No. 4 singles. Senior Ella Wojtowicz notched a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over West Iron’s Kaycee Ingram at No. 2, while junior Jessa Rossler picked up a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Taylor Economy in the fourth singles flight.

The Wykons posted wins at No. 3 singles and at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. In singles, Erin Kolbas powered past Tori Trudeau 6-3, 6-1. In doubles, Aubrey Richardson and Destiny Lemery knocked off Kara Stanchina and Lilly Tomlanovich 7-5, 6-3 in the No. 1 flight, while Olivia Lamay and Julia White notched a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the No. 2 slot.

“(West Iron County) has such a solid program, and we look forward to playing them because we learn so much from those matches,” Gustafson said after the match. “I am just so excited for my team and proud of how they competed today.”

Wykons 7, Flivvers 1

Earlier in the day, West Iron scored an impressive victory over Kingsford. The Wykons took three of the four singles matches and swept the four doubles encounters.

In singles, Kaycee Ingram nipped Madalynn Sleik 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 at No. 2, Erik Kolbas scored a 6-0, 6-2 win over Maddy Zeuski at No. 3 and Taylor Economy knocked off Chloe Lanning 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4.

West Iron recorded straight-set victories at every doubles flight. Aubrey Richardson and Destiny Lemery led the way with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Aubrey Bellmore and Kylee Woodward, while Rochelle Bear and Madison Cronkright posted a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Claire Rutter and Myla Beauchamp.

The other two doubles matches were more competitive. At No. 2, Olivia Lamay and Julia White recorded a 6-2, 7-6 win over Alaysa Bacon and Mira Johnson, while Marlee Benson and Kendall McDonald topped Macy Giesau and Natalie Bjorne 6-4, 7-5.

Kingsford’s point came from sophomore No. 1 singles Aubrie Moore, who upended Grace Smith 6-1, 6-1.