Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis coach Alli Gustafson will be spending a lot of time with her players over the next several months.
Tryouts for the spring season begin on Monday for the Jaguars, who will then transition to a fall season in August under schedule changes from the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union for 2025-26.
“So far, our numbers for this season are around the same as previous seasons,” said Gustafson. “It will be interesting to see how those numbers change next season when we are officially in the fall!”
For now, though, Gustafson is focused on the spring campaign. The Jaguars return just three varsity regulars from a team that posted a 7-4 record last year, including a 4-2 mark in the CIML Conference.
“I’m excited for the tryouts, and we are all gearing up for that!” Gusafson said. “I am excited to see all of the girls together on the court then and to officially kick off the season!”
Juniors Kalyani Bhat and Samara Peterson are both back along with sophomore Talia Baca. Junior Imrie Hanson, who was one of the team’s top junior varsity players a year ago, is among the other returnees.
Peterson posted a 5-6 record at the No. 1 singles position as a sophomore. She also played No. 1 doubles with Megan Yuan, who graduated last spring.
Peterson played a key role on the 2023 squad that went 12-3 and placed fourth in the Class 2A state team tournament. She also captured a district title in doubles while playing with Yuan, allowing them to qualify for the individual state tournament.
Baca went 4-7 at the No. 3 singles spot last year. She posted a 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (3) victory over Indianola’s Emily Allen to place third in singles at a regional meet.
That match turned out to be for more than just pride. Baca received a berth to the state tournament when the district champion, Lexi Moen of Valley, had to withdraw due to sickness.
Bhat, meanwhile, primarily played No. 5 doubles.
“With only having those three returners back, there is a lot of room for others (like Hanson) to step up, earn their spot, and experience playing varsity for the first time,” Gustafson said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for new players to make an impact and contribute to our team’s success!”
The Jaguars will open their season on April 8 with a conference match at Waukee Northwest.
“This season, our team captains have reflected on the past few seasons and set collective goals,” Gustafson said. “Together as a team this season, we hope to commit to pushing beyond our limits and expectations while fighting for every point throughout the whole match. Our goal is to become better players on and off the court, while showing integrity and determination.”