IRON MOUNTAIN – The Iron Mountain Mountaineers dominated the top three singles flights and won the other five matches by forfeit in their 8-0 victory over Gwinn on Thursday in Iron Mountain.

In the matches played, Iron Mountain’s No. 1 singles Alysia Wood defeated Lexi Tadgerson 6-0, 6-1, while No. 2 singles Avea Brown produced a 6-1, 6-0 win over Lily White and No. 3 singles Jacalyn Rowe swept Adelah Beaudry 6-0, 6-0.

No. 4 singles Grace Webb won by forfeit, as did No. 1 doubles Ella Theisen and Lindsey Lewandowski, No. 2 doubles Olivia Geneva and Kailey Jayne, No. 3 doubles Jules Saldana and Penelope Geneva and No. 4 doubles Rhiannon Johnson and Kaya Grassinger.

“Gwinn is struggling with numbers and some inexperience, so we were able to play only three matches today,” IM coach Keith Huotari said. “They also didn’t have their top player available, so it was difficult for them to compete. But they have fielded some really good players over the years, so hopefully Coach (Joleigh) Larson will be able to get some girls to join the team and be competitive moving forward.”

Knights 4, Eskymos 4

At Escanaba, the Knights fought off illness, strong winds and a traditionally strong opponent to gain a tie against the Eskymos.

“I would have loved to see us pull off the win, but I couldn’t be prouder of the way our girls fought,” Norway coach Cassandra Gustafson said. “Even tying a program like Escanaba is a big deal for us.”

Norway captured three singles matches and the No. 4 doubles contest to gain the tie. No. 4 singles Jessa Rossler rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Alexa DeGrand to lead the way, while Ella Wojtowicz knocked off Olivia Vogel 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 singles.

Tori Trudeau rallied for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Varrah Veeser in the third singles flight.

“A showcase of toughness and determination,” Gustafson said of Trudeau’s effort.

In doubles, new No. 4 doubles tandem Lyla Tomlanovich and Amara Humphreys posted a 6-4, 6-0 triumph over Katie Kievit and Paige Stammer.

Gustafson said the Tomlanovich-Humphreys pairing impressed her by coming together so quickly.

And as a whole, the Knights have proven their mettle so far this season.

“The match underscored (our) competitive spirit and the program’s ability to go toe-to-toe with larger schools,” Gustafson said. “Even against a larger program with such a strong history, the Knights showed grit and depth across the lineup.”