The United South Central girls’ tennis team of Cami Christian Bri Schroeder advanced to the state tournament Thursday, finishing second in the Section 2A individual tournament.

“It was fun to see their big smiles and the excitement on their faces,” USC head coach Kim Stervermer said.

Christian and Shroeder defeated St. Peter’s Calleigh Carlson and Rachel Thompson 2-6, 6-1 and 6-2 in the semifinals, the same doubles team they lost to in the section team tournament a week earlier.

“They played really well and their communication on the court was great,” Stervermer said. “I was happy to see that losing the first set didn’t get them down. They kept their cool and stayed focused.”

Christian and Shroeder lost to Waseca’s Lexi Ulfers and Hannah Flor 6-0 and 6-1, but the second place finish was good enough for a state tourney berth.

“We knew that the Waseca match was going to be a tough one but Cami and Bri never gave up and still played hard,” Stervermer said. “They were happy to get one game off of them.”

The doubles team plays at 10 a.m. Thursday against Julia Runge and McKenzie Gronewold of Saint James at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis.