Playing in a tight match last year was a piece of cake for a senior-laden Tigers boys’ tennis team. This year, though, the 4-3 score hasn’t gone Hutchinson’s way very often.

Willmar, who had nine players in 11th grade or above, used its experience to win the Section 2AA quarterfinal match over Hutchinson, 4-3.

The Tigers were 1-3 this season in duels that were decided by one point.

“Anytime you have a No. 2 seed playing a No. 3 it’s an even contest and Thursday’s match couldn’t have been much closer,” Tigers coach Brett Rasmussen said. “The two teams matched up as well as any two teams could.”

Hutchinson gained the No. 2 seed and a third-place finish in the Missota Conference because of their strength at the top positions in both singles and doubles.

However, that was exactly where Willmar was its best.

“Willmar’s strength was at the top two singles spots and at No. 1 doubles. Over the course of the season, that’s where we won the most matches, too. It was one team’s strength going up against anothers,” Rasmussen said. “I thought we had an edge in overall depth and could win it with our balanced lineup. As it was, Willmar won both three-set matches and scored the 4-3 win.”

With the team season over, Hutchinson will now focus its attention on the individuals portion of the section.

While seeding hasn’t been completed, it appears as if Paulsen will be the south half’s No. 2 seed behind Mankato West’s James Lager.

Meier should receive the No. 3 seed.

In doubles, McGraw and Rasmussen will be in the top two, while Jensen and Westlund will be in the middle of the pack.

Last season, all six Tigers made it through the south half to the section tournament at Gustavus Adolphus College.

The opening round is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday in St. Peter.

To read more the Tigers and Willmar match, check out Tuesday's print edition on newsstands right now.

Eric Kraushar is the sports editor at the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sports@hutchinsonleader.com [2].