Thursday’s Jag-Hawk showdown at the Prairie Ridge courts was about much more than girls’ tennis.
The two Ankeny teams donated the proceeds from their annual fundraiser to Miracle Travel Works.
“Today was a great day to come together as one town and play for something much bigger than tennis!” said Ankeny Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “We had several hard-fought matches throughout the lineup, and it was great to see the girls step up in some of the big and monumental moments.”
Gustafson’s Jaguars capitalized on Ankeny’s depleted lineup to post an 11-0 victory over their rival for the second straight year. The Hawkettes are currently battling some injuries.
“It’s no fun to watch anyone not be able to play because of injuries or illness, but especially not when it’s Ankeny,” Gustafson said. “We are wishing all of the AHS players health and speedy recoveries!”
The two squads got off to an even start in singles, splitting the opening sets of the six matches. But Centennial then rallied for three come-from-behind wins to sweep the singles.
“We have been working hard on finishing points when the pressure is high, and that really came to light today,” Gustafson said. “We were able to clinch several tiebreaks and super-tiebreakers, showing growth in our ability to stay composed and finish strong when matches were on the line.”
Centennial’s Carly Oliver posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Avani Banda at the No. 5 spot. She then teamed up with Miley Makovec for another victory at No. 3 doubles.
“Carly had a great singles match and showed a lot of growth from Tuesday’s meet (at Southeast Polk),” Gustafson said. “She played smart and strategic tennis and did a great job of honing in on her groundstrokes and putting into action what we have been working on.”
The Jaguars improved to 2-2 in the CIML Conference and 3-5 overall. Ankeny’s records dropped to 1-3 and 3-4.
“I was incredibly proud of the girls from the top to the bottom of the lineup for continuing to fight when matches became difficult,” Gustafson said. “Ankeny played great and made us work for every win! It was a great day of tennis and a special opportunity to come together as a community. I am so proud of the way our girls competed and represented the Jags today!”
The Hawkettes will host a make-up conference meet against Urbandale on Monday. Centennial will be idle until Wednesday, when the Jaguars host a conference meet against Johnston.
Here are the match-by-match results from Thursday’s meet:
Ankeny Centennial 11, Ankeny 0
Singles: Baca beat Dietrich, 6-1, 6-0; Sutherland beat Moen, 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (3); Schulz beat Johnson, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8); Bohnenkamp beat Shanks, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 1-0; Oliver beat Banda, 6-2, 6-3; Makovec beat Ntem, 6-1, 6-4.
Doubles: Baca-Bohnenkamp beat Dietrich-Moen; Sutherland-Schulz beat Shanks-Doubleday, 6-2, 6-1; Oliver-Makovec beat Banda-Ntem, 6-1, 7-6 (7); Heyer-England beat N. Despotovich-S. Despotovich, 6-1, 6-2; Erickson-Evans beat Buffington-Vithasayab, 6-0, 6-1.
