When the Ankeny girls’ tennis team opens its season on April 4 at Waukee, the Hawkettes’ lineup will feature a new No. 1 player.
Kira Smith, a two-time state qualifier and the daughter of coach Steve Smith, is not on the team’s roster.
“Kira is training in Florida, and I’m preparing for the season as if she won’t be playing,” said coach Smith.
It won’t be easy for Smith to replace his daughter. Kira posted a 20-3 record and placed fourth in the Class 2A state singles tournament as a freshman in 2022, then went 12-6 and earned another trip to state last year.
Kira led the Hawkettes to a 5-8 record as a sophomore, including a 2-6 mark in the CIML Conference.
Seniors Mallory DeHaan and Samara Feldhacker are among the team’s returning varsity regulars. Juniors Lilith Francel, Satviki Gorrela and Sophie Schmitz are also back.
All five of those players saw a lot of singles and doubles action last year.
“We had a productive summer with several players really improving, but we didn’t have as many players playing tournaments in the offseason as we’ve had in the past,” Smith said. “However, Lilith really committed to tennis this offseason and has made some big strides.”
Francel went 4-9 in singles as a sophomore. She posted a 2-4 mark while playing at the No. 3 position.
DeHaan went 4-1 at the No. 6 spot and finished 5-4 overall. Schmitz went 1-2 at the No. 4 position, while Gorrela went 2-2 at the No. 6 spot.
Smith said he expects freshman Ella Dietrich to make an impact for the Hawkettes.
“She has a little bit of tournament experience,” he said.
Ankeny will be looking for steady improvement throughout the season.
“Our focus will be on improving each day in practice to max out our team’s capabilities as much as we can,” Smith said.