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Centennial girls blank Cedar Falls, advance to final four of 2A team tourney

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Ankeny Centennial’s Samara Peterson hits a shot during Saturday’s match against visiting Cedar Falls in the opening round of the Class 2A state team tournament. Peterson posted a 6-1, 6-0 win to help the Jaguars to a 5-0 victory. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

The magical season continued on Saturday for the Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis team.

The third-ranked Jaguars rolled to a 5-0 victory over No. 6 Cedar Falls in the opening round of the Class 2A state team tournament at the Prairie Ridge courts. The match was halted before doubles play even began after Centennial swept the first five singles matches to be determined.

Ankeny Centennial’s Abbie Peterson reaches for the ball during her No. 1 singles match. She rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over state doubles qualifier Maya Mallavarapu. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

“Seeing these girls show up today ready to compete from the first point of each match was amazing,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “Every one of them saw success today against a great Cedar Falls team!”

The Jaguars raised their record to 12-1 on the season. Cedar Falls finished at 12-5.

Centennial advances to the final four of the state team tournament along with No. 1 Cedar Rapids Washington, No. 2 Dowling Catholic and No. 4 Valley. Those matches will be played on May 30 at Johnston.

On Saturday, the Jaguars got easy victories from Abbie Peterson at the No. 1 position, Samara Peterson at No. 4, Ara Lofgren at No. 5 and Megan Yuan at No. 6. Jenna Benkufsky won a three-set match at the No. 3 spot to seal the victory.

Ankeny Centennial’s Jenna Benkufsky hits a backhand return during her No. 3 singles match. She won in three sets to seal the Jaguars’ victory. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

“Jenna came back in a super-tiebreaker to finish it out,” Gustafson said. “She won the first set but dropped the second, so going into the third set, she changed the momentum and clinched our final win. Abbie, Ara, Megan, and Samara all won their matches with ease. They each stayed in control of their match and dominated on the court. Each of them used variety in shots and confidence.”

Centennial’s Esther Guan was in the middle of a super-tiebreaker at the No. 2 position when she was pulled off the court.

Ankeny Centennial’s Esther Guan tracks down a ball during her No. 2 singles match. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

“Esther played some of the best tennis of her season in this match,” Gustafson said. “I could not be more proud of these girls! They continue to make history for (our program). This was an exciting next step heading into both individual state and now team state.”

The individual tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday at the University of Iowa Tennis Center in Iowa City. All six of Centennial’s players qualified in either singles or doubles.

Ankeny Centennial’s Ara Lofgren hits a shot during her No. 5 singles match. She posted a 6-0, 6-0 win. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

At the state team tournament, Centennial could get a chance to avenge its only loss. The Jaguars dropped a 6-4 decision to Dowling on April 11.

Here are the match-by-match results from Saturday:

Ankeny Centennial’s Megan Yuan hits a backhand return during her No. 6 singles match. She posted a 6-0, 6-1 victory. (Photo courtesy of Jerrad Downer)

Centennial 5, Cedar Falls 0

Singles–A. Peterson beat Mallavarapu, 6-1, 6-1; Guan vs. Sagers (did not finish); Benkufsky beat Kalala, 6-1, 4-6, 10-8; S. Peterson beat Schleicher, 6-1, 6-0; Lofgren beat Jeanes, 6-0, 6-0; Yuan beat Patel, 6-0, 6-1.