Senior Kira Smith is a two-time state qualifier for the Ankeny girls’ tennis team. She has rejoined the program after spending the last 1 1/2 years at the Gomez Tennis Academy in Naples, Fla.
Smith placed fourth in singles in Class 2A as a freshman in 2022, equaling the highest finish ever by an Ankeny player. She posted a 20-3 record, then went 12-6 as a sophomore and again qualified for state despite battling an injury.
Here is some inside info on Smith:
How is the season going thus far?
This season has been very good for our team so far. We’ve leveled up the practices in order to get the most out of each day, and we competed very well against Valley (in a 9-2 loss on Tuesday).
Was it a pretty smooth transition for you to rejoin the program this spring?
Coming back to cold weather from living in Florida as well as adjusting from being at the courts all day to going back to school can be pretty difficult, but I’ve been taking lessons from Barny (Thorold) and hitting with Luke (VanDonslear) to try to continue my progress from Gomez, so that has made the adjustment easier.
Your dad told me that the Gomez Academy was founded by Monica Seles’ former traveling coach. Did you enjoy your time there, and in what ways do you think your game improved the most from going there?
I definitely enjoyed my time there! It was a really tough experience, but also a very positive one. I think I improved a lot of technical aspects of my game, but the part I developed the most was my ability to be mentally tough and stay physically strong throughout a match.
You opened the season on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Valley’s Sophie Tannenbaum, who is ranked 10th in the state. What was the key for you to win the last eight games of that No. 1 singles match?
I think the main thing for me was just to stay calm and focus on strategy instead of outcome.
Your dad said that you had to overcome some early nerves in that match. What do you think caused those nerves, because you’ve played in a lot of high-level matches in your career?
It’s been almost half a year since I’ve played a tournament and even longer since I’ve played a high school match, and so nerves are expected in the first match you play. Sophie’s also a great player, and I knew I would have to stay strong in order to win.
You also won your No. 2 doubles match while playing with Susan Hanley. What did you think of her performance, and are the two of you developing some chemistry pretty quickly?
I think Susan played great! She even hit an ace! There were some things we had to work out through the match, but I think we adjusted well and we were able to pull it out.
Your team will face Ankeny Centennial in the annual Jag vs. Hawk showdown on Tuesday. Do you know much about this year’s Centennial squad?
I know a few of the players on the Centennial team, and it will be a competitive meet.
Goals for the season? Do you think you can contend for a state title?
There are many great players this season, and there will be lots of tough matches. My goal for this season is to play each match to the best of my ability and focus on process goals instead of outcome goals.
I know you’ve signed with Iowa State for next year. Did you look at a lot of schools, and was it a tough decision?
There were many schools I looked at, and it ended up coming down to Iowa State and Northern Iowa. It was a tough decision because both schools have so many positives, and for me it was a decision of which one would personally benefit me more; it was a decision between two great options.
What did you like about Iowa State?
I’ve grown up being an Iowa State fan, and talking to coach Jaron (Maestas), I saw that he would be someone who would push me while also caring about me.
What are you going to study?
Iowa State has an event management major, which is the major I am planning on going into.