A long day in Pleasant Valley ended in similar fashion for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis teams.
Both the Hawkettes and Jaguars saw their seasons come to an end with a loss to Pleasant Valley in a Class 2A regional team tournament on Tuesday. The Spartans posted a 5-1 victory over Centennial in the semifinal round, then battled Ankeny late into the evening before finally emerging with a 5-3 win.
The meet was moved indoors to the Quad Cities Tennis Center due to rain and was later delayed for 30 minutes due to a tornado warning.
“It was the weirdest day of my life,” said Ankeny coach Steve Smith, who also had to make a quick visit to a local Chevy dealer for repairs when the team’s suburban had an equipment malfunction.
Ankeny’s Kira Smith and Sophie Schmitz each won their singles matches against Pleasant Valley. The duo then teamed up for another win at No. 1 doubles.
The Hawkettes needed to sweep the doubles matches after Susan Hanley was unable to finish her match at No. 5 singles.
“Susan won the first set, and it was a close second set when she was speaking with our assistant coaches,” Smith said. “All of a sudden she sat down on the ground because she got so dizzy and couldn’t even stand. Unfortunately, she was unable to finish her match after an injury, and she couldn’t play doubles.”
KJ Quirk stepped in as an alternate and played No. 3 doubles with Olivia North. After losing the first set, they started clicking and went up 4-1 in the second set.
Meanwhile, the No. 2 doubles team of Lilith Francel and Satviki Gorrela had won their first set and were ahead in the second.
“For a brief moment there, it looked like we might pull off a miracle,” Smith said.
However, Pleasant Valley rallied to win the No. 3 doubles match to punch its ticket to state. The Spartans (16-6) will face Valley (11-3) in the opening round on Saturday.
“We had so many different players have outstanding performances that it shows how good we can be when we’re clicking on all cylinders,” said Smith, whose team finished with a 5-9 record. “At the end of the day, a 3-8 regular season team was just a few points from making team state despite facing a ton of adversity. While you always want to win, I’m proud of how we played.”
Ankeny had earlier outlasted Waterloo West, 5-4, in the semifinals. The Wahawks lost for only the fifth time in 17 meets.
Gorrela won a third-set tiebreaker at No. 6 singles, 12-10, to keep Ankeny alive. She then combined with Francel to rally for another three-set victory at No. 2 doubles to seal the triumph.
“I was so proud of those two as we got to see them play the way we know they’re capable of playing,” Smith said. “Lilith was locked in and was the best player on the court the last two sets, and Satviki leveraged her tiebreak experience to play her best as well. She was clutch in her two tiebreakers.
“Unfortunately, we had to go right back on the courts to play Pleasant Valley with no rest even though PV had been resting for four hours. We really didn’t have a lunch as a result of how the flow of matches went. That came back to hurt us,” he added.
Smith’s daughter will compete in the Class 2A singles tournament next week along with Centennial junior Samara Peterson. The Jaguars finished at 3-11, but coach Alli Gustafson said the team’s record did not reflect its success.
“It was a season filled with growth, resilience and development both on and off the court,” said Gustafson. “From continuing to develop our mental toughness to refining our strokes and adjusting strategies mid-match, the progress was evident throughout the season, especially in our final meet today. Though the day didn’t end with the result we had hoped for, it proved to be another learning experience. The team showed effort throughout every point and adaptability, qualities that we will build on and carry into our fall season.”
Kaley Swanson provided Centennial’s lone win at No. 5 singles.
“She played a smart, strategic match, using her consistency and strong forehand to keep control of the match,” Gustafson said. “I am proud of each and every player for their dedication and growth this season. The lessons learned and the growth on and off the court are what truly define our team’s success.”