Ankeny sophomore Kira Smith has been battling an inflamed rotator cuff in her right shoulder for much of the girls’ high school tennis season.
The injury didn’t prevent her from earning a second consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament.
Smith placed second in singles in a Class 2A regional tournament on Wednesday at Valley. She advanced to the final before dropping a 6-4, 6-0 decision to defending state champion Claire Gu of Valley.
“Kira got a raw deal being placed in Claire Gu’s region despite being the third-highest returning player from the state singles tournament last year,” said Ankeny coach Steve Smith. “She then had to play a solid player from Valley in (the quarterfinals) and a really tough player from Council Bluffs Lincoln in the semifinals who hadn’t lost a match all year at No. 1 singles and doubles.”
The second-seeded Smith won each of her first two matches in straight sets. She posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Sophie Tannenbaum of Valley, then followed with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over third-seeded Jeena Carle of Council Bluffs Lincoln to punch her ticket to state, which is slated for May 26-27 at Iowa City.
“I was really impressed with Jeena,” coach Smith said. “She had a huge serve, and you can see why she’ll be playing in college next year at Midland.”
Smith is now 11-3 on the season. Two of her losses came to Gu, and the other one came to Abbie Peterson of Ankeny Centennial.
Smith took a 4-3 lead in the first set before Gu won the final nine games.
“Kira was cramping in the semifinal match, so we knew she wouldn’t be able to move like she normally can,” said her father. “We put in a game plan where she hit out more, and it was working in the first set. I think Kira cramping up might end up being a blessing as she was forced to play the way she’s capable of playing. Her catching a glimpse of what she’s capable of will hopefully pay off dividends the rest of the season.”
Smith’s teammate, Sydney Otto, placed fourth in singles. She dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Carle in the third-place match.
The fourth-seeded Otto posted a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Zoey Belt of Indianola in the quarterfinals. She then lost to Gu, 6-0, 6-0, in the semifinals.
“Sydney played awesome,” Smith said. “She really forced Claire to win the points, which most players can’t do. Unfortunately, Claire is just that good. She then fought tough against Jeena for third place.
“Sydney continues to play her best tennis against her toughest opponents. It’s pretty cool she held her No. 4 seed in the singles draw,” he added.
The Ankeny doubles team of Madalyn Kolb and Sophie Schmitz also earned a fourth-place finish. They dropped a 5-7, 6-2, 10-2 decision to fourth-seeded Brynn Bishop and Keely Greubel of Indianola in the third-place match.
The third-seeded Kolb and Schmitz cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over a team from Council Bluffs Jefferson in the quarterfinals. They then lost to second-seeded Masha Shapiro and Alina Keshwani of Valley, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals.
“Everybody competed tough today, and Madalyn and Sophie had their chances in the first set, but Valley’s doubles teams were just too good for us today,” Smith said. “Masha and Alina played loose and relaxed under the pressure of qualifying for state.”
The 10th-ranked Hawkettes also entered Lauren Osburn and Lilith Francel in doubles. They posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over a team from Des Moines Lincoln in the opening round before falling to eventual champs Allexis Moen and Maddie Hockmuth of Valley, 6-0, 6-0, in the quarterfinals.
