The Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis squad moved one win away from a trip to the Class 2A state team tournament.
The Jaguars posted a 5-3 victory over visiting Iowa City Liberty in a regional semifinal on Wednesday at the Prairie Ridge courts. They swept the doubles matches after the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie in singles.
“Our team came out strong today,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “It was a true team effort with great play across both singles and doubles.”
Centennial (7-7) advanced to Saturday’s regional final at Valley. The Tigers (14-0) defeated Ankeny, 5-0, in the other semifinal at Valley.
The Jaguars were strengthened on Wednesday by the return of senior Samara Peterson. Peterson, the team’s No. 1 player, missed last week’s regional singles and doubles tournament due to a lingering back injury.
Peterson lost a three-set singles match to Vivian Kahler, but then teamed up with Talia Baca for a win at No. 1 doubles in straight sets. Five of the nine matches were decided by a third-set super tiebreaker.
“The day was filled with several tough battles, including those super tiebreakers, and we were able to pull through and clinch two of them where it mattered most,” Gustafson said. “I’m proud of the continued growth we’ve seen each match and the hard work these girls have poured into the season.”
Iowa City Liberty ends the season at 5-10.
At Valley, the Tigers blanked Ankeny for the second time on their home courts. They won the season opener against the Hawkettes, 11-0, on Aug. 12.
On Wednesday, Valley sealed the win by taking five of the six singles matches while dropping just one game overall. At No. 1 singles, Ankeny’s Olivia North put up a good fight against state doubles qualifier Sophie Tannenbaum, winning a pair of games before the match was halted when the outcome was determined.
The Hawkettes finished the season with a 3-12 record.
Saturday’s regional final begins at 10 a.m. The Jaguars will try to avenge an 11-0 loss at Valley on Aug. 26.
The Tigers have been dominant all season. Only two of their opponents, Waukee Northwest and Johnston, were able to win as many as four matches.
Gustafson, though, is looking forward to the challenge.
“We’re excited to keep pushing forward!” she said. “We’re onto the next round, and we’re not done yet!”
Here are the match-by-match results from Wednesday’s meets:
Ankeny Centennial 5, Iowa City Liberty 3
Singles: Kahler (ICL) beat Peterson, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (7); Baca (AC) beat Boldt, 6-2, 6-1; McMorris (ICL) beat Bhat, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6); Sutherland (AC) beat Christoph, 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (4); Carr (AC) beat Lambi, 6-0, 6-0; Black (ICL) beat Swanson, 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (8).
Doubles: Peterson-Baca (AC) beat Kahler-Black, 6-4, 6-3; Bhat-Sutherland (AC) beat Boldt-McMorris, 6-1, 6-4; Carr-Swanson (AC) beat Christoph-Lambi, 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (6).
Valley 5, Ankeny 0
Singles: North (A) vs. Tannenbaum, 1-6, 1-2 (DNF); Nguyen beat Doyle, 6-0, 6-0; Bird beat Dietrich, 6-0, 6-0; Dalton beat Vlad, 6-1, 6-0; Reuter beat Blume, 6-0, 6-0; Carter beat Hutchinson, 6-0, 6-0.