‘We couldn’t close when we needed to’: No. 6 Jaguars fall to No. 5 Johnston, 7-4

**Ankeny Centennial’s Gabby Mixdorf hits a forehand return during Tuesday’s meet against visiting Johnston. The Dragons posted a 7-4 victory. (Photo by Dan Holm)**

The latest Class 2A girls’ tennis rankings would suggest that there isn’t much of a gap between the fifth-ranked Johnston and No. 6 Ankeny Centennial teams.

Tuesday’s dual meet between the two squads confirmed that assumption.

The Dragons won four of the seven matches that were decided by a third-set supertiebreaker and outlasted host Centennial, 7-4, in a CIML Conference matchup.

“In singles, we started off strong by winning four of the first sets, yet we could not finish the matches,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “We weren’t able to keep control of the points in the second sets. We had several tiebreakers and supertiebreakers throughout the day that we could have pulled out, but ultimately we couldn’t close when we needed to.”

**Ankeny Centennial’s Jenna Benkufsky returns a shot during Tuesday’s meet. She won both of her matches for the Jaguars in three sets. (Photo by Dan Holm)**

The Jaguars got wins in singles from Megan Yuan at the No. 2 spot and Jenna Benkufsky at the No. 4 position. Benkufsky then teamed up with Ara Lofgren for another victory at No. 2 doubles, while the No. 4 doubles team of Mary Faidley and Mayci Rasmus also prevailed.

All but Yuan’s win came in three sets.

“Jenna was able to come back and win her supertiebreaker in singles, which took grit and determination,” Gustafson said. “I was proud of her for showing mental toughness and staying in it until the end.”

The Dragons raised their record to 3-2 in the conference. Centennial dropped to 2-2 in the league and 4-3 overall.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Ara Lofgren smashes a forehand return during Tuesday’s meet. (Photo by Dan Holm)**

The Jaguars will play Ankeny on Thursday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Hawkettes are 1-4 and 1-5.

Here are the match-by-match results from Tuesday’s meet:

Johnston 7, Centennial 4

Singles–Christensen (J) beat Sa. Peterson, 6-0, 7-5; Yuan (AC) beat Hendrickson, 6-4, 6-4; Si. Peterson (J) beat Baca, 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (2); Benkufsky (AC) beat Ross Cope, 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (8); Veeder (J) beat Lofgren, 6-1, 6-4; Ellsberry (J) beat Mixdorf, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5).

Doubles–Christensen-Hendrickson (J) beat Sa. Peterson-Yuan, 7-6 (1), 6-4; Benkufsky-Lofgren (AC) beat Si. Peterson-Ross Cope, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 1-0 (7); Veeder-Ellsberry (J) beat Baca-Mixdorf, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (12); Faidley-Rasmus (AC) beat Lu-Holub, 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (1); Pinkerton-Kiekhaefer (J) beat Brosnahan-Sterling, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8).