The Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis team ended a tough stretch of three meets in four days with back-to-back losses on the road against quality opponents from the CIML Conference.
The Jaguars dropped an 11-0 decision at Dowling Catholic on Thursday before falling at Waukee, 10-1, on Friday. They are now 1-4 in the conference and 3-5 overall.
Centennial used a depleted roster in Friday’s meet with four of the team’s top five players out of the lineup. It was the third straight win for the Warriors, who are now 3-1 in the league and 4-1 overall.
“The Jags battled hard against Waukee, and I’m proud of how everyone stepped up,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “Several JV players gained valuable varsity experience, and while we didn’t get the overall meet win, it was a great chance for our team to grow.”
Avery Bohnenkamp and Claire Brown teamed up for Centennial’s lone win at No. 4 doubles. They posted a 7-6 (3), 0-6, 1-0 victory over Satvika Anbukumar and Bryn Mineck.
“Those two used consistency and aggression at the net to clinch their super tiebreaker,” Gustafson said. “Overall, this meet showed the determination of our team, and I’m very proud of how the girls stepped in and competed.”
Ella Sutherland moved up to the No. 1 singles position and lost to Laksha Suresh in three sets. She then teamed up with Natalie Carr for another three-set loss at No. 1 doubles.
“Ella had a standout day,” Gustafson said. “She pushed her opponent in singles and then teamed with Natalie for some outstanding net play in doubles.”
In the loss to Dowling, Gustafson praised the play of Kaley Swanson, who dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Victoria Valverde at No. 6 singles.
“Kaley had a solid singles match, using her groundstrokes to control points,” Gustafson said. “She wasn’t able to pull out the win, but she battled hard and competed well.”
The Maroons improved to 2-1 in the league and 4-2 overall.
“We came up short against a very strong Dowling team,” Gustafson said. “While we worked to use consistency and smart shot placement, Dowling’s aggressive net play ultimately put them on top.”
The Jaguars will play another conference meet at Valley on Tuesday. The Tigers (4-0, 9-0) are coming off a 7-4 win at Waukee Northwest on Thursday.
Here are the match-by-match results from the last two meets:
Dowling Catholic 11, Ankeny Centennial 0
Singles: Bakros beat Peterson, 6-3, 6-2; Edward beat Baca, 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (3); Johnson beat Sutherland, 6-0, 6-0; Pierron beat Hanson, 6-0, 6-4; Claypool beat Carr, 6-0, 7-5; Valverde beat Swanson, 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles: Bakros-Johnson beat Peterson-Baca, 6-3, 6-2; Edward-Pierron beat Sutherland-Hanson, 6-3, 6-2; Claypool-Rice beat Carr-Weesner, 6-3, 6-1; Valverde-Murphy beat Swanson-Schulz, 6-4, 6-0; Carfrae-Larson beat Snyder-Bohnenkamp, 6-1, 6-3.
Waukee 10, Ankeny Centennial 1
Singles: Suresh beat Sutherland, 2-6, 6-2, 1-0; Mizushima beat Carr, 6-2, 6-2; Nurre beat Weesner, 6-0, 6-1; Maddy beat Swanson, 6-3, 7-5; Mullick beat Schulz, 6-0, 6-1; Anbukumar beat Snyder, 6-3, 6-0.
Doubles: Suresh-Nurre beat Sutherland-Carr, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0; Mizushima-Maddy beat Weesner-Swanson, 6-1, 6-1; Mullick-Rosebrook beat Schulz-Snyder, 6-0, 6-3; Bohnenkamp-Brown (AC) beat Anbukumar-Mineck, 7-6 (3), 0-6, 1-0; Shukla-Zheng beat Heyer-Oliver, 6-2, 6-4.