Gustafson earns No. 1 singles crown

Sophomore Kathryn Gustafson during a Del Norte High girls tennis team match in Crescent City earlier this season. On Saturday, Gustafson won the No. 1 seed at the Humboldt-Del Norte Conference championships in Fortuna. By winning the title Gustafson qualifies for North Coast Sections. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Warrior sophomore Kathryn Gustafson, the top seed, downed senior Jenna Madsen of Eureka 6-3, 6-1 in Fortuna on Saturday to earn the conference crown at the HDNC championships. Now she will move on to compete in the North Coast Section Singles championships in Santa Rosa on Nov. 17.

She went 11-1 in HDNC play this year. Her only loss came against Abi Black of Arcata after she had just returned from fighting a flu and was not 100 percent.

On Saturday, Gustafson had a first round bye and defeated Hannah Puttre of Northcoast Prep in two sets for the right to play in the title match.

“I was kind of shocked I would do this well,” said Gustafson, 14, who won the No. 4 singles title last year as a freshman.

Warrior head coach Trudi Zottola-Gugliemini commended Gustafson for her outstanding play, saying her performance was the best she has seen her on the tennis court all year.

Gustafson said that in the title match she tried to focus and not “lose my head.”

During a match she always keeps track of what has worked and not worked up to that point and either makes adjustments, or if things are working to keep to her strategy. She said that certainly helped in her match against Madsen. 

Gustafson commended her opponent and went out of her way to say what a great game Jenna Madsen played.

“Jenna did really well in that match” she said.

Zottola-Gugliemini said that Gustafson has always shown terrific sportsmanship and goes out of her way to show respect to her opponent and can constantly be heard commending them if they do something well during a match.

“That’s her demeanor. Her personality, which is pretty cool,” her coach said, adding that while Gustafson always aims to win and play well she never loses sight of something even more important — being a good sport.

Gustafson said that she is looking forward to competing in NCS play.

“I think it’s going to be a great learning experience,” she said.

In the No. 2 to No. 5 singles matches the Warriors lost in the first round.

In No. 6 singles play, Warrior Hannah Seaton won her first set 5-1 and was leading 5-3 in her second set in first round play when it was stopped due to rain.

The match will resume before the start of the HDNC doubles finals in Fortuna on Friday.

Because Gustafson won the No. 1 singles title the rules dictate that she cannot play in No. 1 doubles championship play.

So, for the Warriors the No. 1 pair will be Meghan Webb and Samantha Bausch.

The No. 2 doubles pair is Kaitlyn Stephens and Severin Walston. The No. 3 doubles pair for Del Norte is Whitney Gamboa and Seaton.

The Warriors have won the HDNC No. 1 doubles title the past two years.

Wilson also won the HDNC No.1 singles title as a sophomore back in 2006.