Despite dropping a pair of matches, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis team showed some promising signs during the Jaguar Kickoff to open the season on Friday at the Prairie Ridge courts.
Centennial began the day with a 7-4 loss to Dubuque Hempstead. The Jaguars then dropped an 11-0 decision to Iowa City West.
“Today was a great first day of matches for our team!” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “Going into the meet, we knew we needed to gain valuable varsity match experience, and we walked away with most of our girls competing in four varsity matches throughout the day. From start to finish, our athletes were learning, reflecting on their matches, building their strategies, and learning how to analyze and adjust to their opponents. It was great to see so much growth and development throughout the day!”
Centennial’s Talia Baca rallied for a three-set victory at No. 1 singles against Hempstead’s Ivy Hoden. She posted a 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8) triumph.
“Talia led our team from the top of the lineup,” Gustafson said. “She stayed calm and composed, and she kept a positive attitude throughout the entirety of the day. She battled back in her first singles match and earned a hard-fought win in a super-tiebreaker.”
Avery Bohnenkamp also won a three-set match at No. 4 singles. She outlasted Saige Richman for a 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (5) victory.
The Jaguars got an 8-3 win from the No. 4 doubles team of Miley Makovec and Carly Oliver. The No. 5 doubles team of Bellami Wetrich and Lillian Evans also won, 8-4.
In the loss to Iowa City West, Wetrich and Evans battled Evy Thompson and Suhjin Kim to the wire before dropping a 9-7 decision.
“Bellami and Lily also competed incredibly hard in their second doubles match,” Gustafson said. “They stayed with every point, communicated and talked strategy between points, and continued to compete until the very end of the match. Their determination was great to see.”
Valley also competed in the four-team meet. The Tigers edged Iowa City West, 5-4, before posting an 8-1 win over Hempstead.
“Overall, it was a great day of tennis and an excellent opportunity for our team to gain experience,” Gustafson said. “We are excited to continue learning, competing, and growing throughout the season!”
The Jaguars will host a non-conference meet against North Polk on Monday.
Here are the match-by-match results from Friday’s meet:
Dubuque Hempstead 7, Ankeny Centennial 4
Singles: Baca (AC) beat Hoden, 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8); Kass beat Sutherland, 6-2, 6-1; K. Knepper beat Schulz, 6-1, 6-0; Bohnenkamp (AC) beat Richman, 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (5); Davis beat Pedersen, 6-3, 7-5; Ortmann beat Heyer, 6-1, 6-4.
Doubles: Hoden-Kass beat Baca-Sutherland, 8-1; K. Knepper-Richman beat Schulz-Bohnenkamp, 8-2; Davis-Ortmann beat Pedersen-Heyer, 8-4; Makovec-Oliver (AC) beat L. Knepper-Kelzer, 8-3; Wetrich-Evans (AC) beat Kelley-White, 8-4.
Iowa City West 11, Ankeny Centennial 0
Singles: Wang beat Baca, 8-4; Gross beat Sutherland, 8-3; Ding beat Schulz, 8-4; Huang beat Bohnenkamp, 8-4; Liu beat Pedersen, 8-2; Hong beat Heyer, 8-2.
Doubles: Gross-Vasi beat Baca-Sutherland, 8-5; Wang-Ding beat Schulz-Bohnenkamp, 8-0; Huang-Shinozaki beat Pedersen-Heyer, 8-2; Hong-Singh beat Makovec-Oliver, 8-4; Thompson-Kim beat Wetrich-Evans, 9-7.