The Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis team nearly knocked off defending state champion Dowling Catholic on Tuesday at the Prairie Ridge courts.
The top-ranked Maroons held off No. 6 Centennial to post a 6-4 victory in the CIML Conference dual meet. The final match at No. 3 doubles was tied at one set apiece but could not be completed due to darkness.
“Dowling came off of a team state championship last season and has a history of being strong,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “My girls showed up today ready to give it their all. They competed well, making Dowling work for its win.”
Abbie Peterson and Esther Guan combined to provide three of the Jaguars’ wins. Peterson rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ava Petersen at No. 1 singles.
“Abbie and Esther both showed up in singles and in doubles hungry to win,” Gustafson said. “Abbie dominated in her singles match by playing confidently and using her strengths intelligently.”
Guan, meanwhile, rallied for a three-set win over Grace Frye at the No. 2 spot.
“I am incredibly proud of how Esther battled back in her singles match after losing her first set and being down several games in the second set,” Gustafson said. “She won her second-set tiebreaker and then won her super-tiebreaker as well. She stayed collected, which helped seal her win.”
The duo then teamed up for an easy triumph at No. 1 doubles.
“Abbie and Esther were in control throughout the entirety of their doubles match,” Gustafson said. “Their net play was on fire, and they worked strongly together as a team.”
Centennial’s other win came at No. 5 doubles, where Anna Brosnahan and Gabby Mixdorf cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Dowling raised its records to 2-0 in the league and 2-1 overall. The Jaguars fell to 2-1 in the conference.
“Although we fell short of beating Dowling, the girls were within points of turning the meet (in our favor),” Gustafson said. “I am excited to see how the rest of the season plays out.”
Centennial will host another conference meet against No. 3 Valley (3-0) on Thursday.
Here are the match-by-match results from Tuesday’s meet:
Dowling Catholic 6, Centennial 4
Singles–A. Peterson (AC) beat Petersen, 6-2, 6-2; Guan (AC) beat Frye, 3-6, 7-6, 10-5; Mauro (DC) beat Benkufsky, 6-2, 6-2; Sackett (DC) beat S. Peterson, 7-6, 6-2; Name unavailable (DC) beat Lofgren, 6-2, 6-1; Johnson (DC) beat Yuan, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Doubles–A. Peterson-Guan (AC) beat Petersen-Mauro, 6-2, 6-2; Names unavailable (DC) beat Benkufsky-Lofgren, 6-2, 6-2; S. Peterson-Yuan (AC) vs. Sackett-Edward, 4-6, 6-4 (match suspended due to darkness); Johnson-Branstad (DC) beat Sterling-Price, 6-2, 6-4; Brosnahan-Mixdorf (AC) beat Pierron-Murphy, 6-3, 6-1.