Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Tennis

Gustafson, Smith see both positives, negatives with moving girls’ tennis to fall

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Girls' tennis coaches Alli Gustafson of Ankeny Centennial and Steve Smith of Ankeny were both prepared for the possibility that their sport would be moving to the fall eventually. It officially happened on Monday with a dual press release from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association, beginning with the … [Read more...] about Gustafson, Smith see both positives, negatives with moving girls’ tennis to fall

IHSAA, IGHSAU to separate golf, tennis seasons starting in 2025-26

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The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union have collaborated to reduce spring schedule congestion by moving boys’ golf and girls’ tennis to the fall sport seasons starting in the 2025-26 school year. The changes address decades-long concerns from member schools over scheduling and were approved by both the IHSAA’s … [Read more...] about IHSAA, IGHSAU to separate golf, tennis seasons starting in 2025-26

‘We had no double bagels’: Hawkettes fight hard in 5-0 loss to No. 4 Valley girls

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The Ankeny girls' tennis squad closed out its season on Tuesday with a 5-0 loss to fourth-ranked Valley in the semifinals of a Class 2A regional team tournament at Crossroads Park. The Hawkettes, who did not play Valley during the regular season, finished with a 4-9 record. "Overall, I thought we played well," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith. "When a … [Read more...] about ‘We had no double bagels’: Hawkettes fight hard in 5-0 loss to No. 4 Valley girls

Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team will get a shot at CIML Conference rival Valley after all. The Hawkettes won two of the three doubles matches to beat visiting Des Moines Roosevelt, 5-4, in the quarterfinals of a Class 2A regional team tournament on Friday. The Roughriders finished the season with a 6-4 record. Ankeny (4-8) will play No. 4 Valley (9-3) in … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday

‘It was a solid performance’: Schmitz places 4th in singles at regional tourney

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Ankeny girls' tennis coach Steve Smith knew it would be difficult for any of his players to qualify for the Class 2A state tournament. But that didn't make it any easier for him to watch it unfold. "Your heart always goes out to your seniors when they don’t qualify in their last chance to make state," said Smith. "That being said, overall it was a … [Read more...] about ‘It was a solid performance’: Schmitz places 4th in singles at regional tourney

‘We had some amazing performances’: Hawkettes win twice on Senior Day

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It was a memorable Senior Day for the Ankeny girls' tennis team on Friday. The Hawkettes defeated two of their three opponents in the Ankeny Invitational, highlighted by a 6-5 win over previously unbeaten Marshalltown. The Bobcats are now 13-1 on the season. "We had some amazing performances," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith, whose team also posted a 9-2 … [Read more...] about ‘We had some amazing performances’: Hawkettes win twice on Senior Day

Ankeny girls split singles matches at Urbandale, but eventually suffer 6-3 loss

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a 6-3 decision at Urbandale in a rain-shortened meet on Wednesday. After the two squads split the six singles matches, Urbandale posted wins at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 doubles to seal the victory. The Nos. 1 and 2 matches were not completed. The J-Hawks improved to 3-4 in the CIML Conference and 7-4 overall. Ankeny's … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls split singles matches at Urbandale, but eventually suffer 6-3 loss

‘It was a fabulous tribute’: Jaguars coach Lewton honored before Pink Out meet

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Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis coach Tami Lewton has been a driving force behind the annual Pink Out meet between Ankeny's crosstown rivals. On Thursday, it was time for the tennis community to give something back to Lewton. Prior to the Pink Out meet at the Prairie Ridge courts, Lewton was honored in an emotional ceremony. She has spent much of the … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fabulous tribute’: Jaguars coach Lewton honored before Pink Out meet

Hawkettes fall to Waukee Northwest, will face rival Centennial on Thursday

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team ran into another tough opponent on Tuesday. The Hawkettes traveled to Waukee Northwest for a CIML Conference meet and dropped a 10-1 decision to the No. 7 Wolves, who won nine of the 11 matches in straight sets. "Consistent with the theme of this season, we played another great team in extremely windy conditions," said … [Read more...] about Hawkettes fall to Waukee Northwest, will face rival Centennial on Thursday

‘It was good for our team to win their first meet’: Ankeny girls defeat S.E. Polk, 7-4

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team earned its first win of the season by defeating visiting Southeast Polk, 7-4, on Friday. The Hawkettes won four of the six singles matches and three of the five doubles contests. "Our top four players didn’t drop a set in singles or doubles," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith. "(The No. 5 doubles team of) Paige Ford and … [Read more...] about ‘It was good for our team to win their first meet’: Ankeny girls defeat S.E. Polk, 7-4

‘I thought we played well’: Ankeny girls see progress in loss to No. 1 Maroons

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team earned a moral victory on Thursday. The Hawkettes saw some positive signs during an 11-0 loss to visiting Dowling Catholic at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Maroons are ranked No. 1 in Class 2A. "It sounds weird given the meet score, but I thought we played well tonight, especially in doubles," said Ankeny coach Steve … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we played well’: Ankeny girls see progress in loss to No. 1 Maroons

‘It’s not really that big of a surprise’: Ankeny girls suffer 5-4 loss at North Polk

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It was a meet that could have gone either way. In the end, the Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a 5-4 decision at North Polk in a non-conference battle on Thursday. The meet was played under cold and blustery conditions. "It would be easy to try to blame the circumstances as it was one of the worst nights condition-wise I’ve ever seen," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about ‘It’s not really that big of a surprise’: Ankeny girls suffer 5-4 loss at North Polk

Without 5 of top 15 players, Ankeny girls tumble to potent Johnston squad

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A depleted Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped an 11-0 decision to visiting Johnston on Tuesday. The Dragons won all 11 matches in straight sets. They improved to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 2-0 overall. The Hawkettes' records fell to 0-2 and 0-2. "We were down five of our top 15 players, including two of our normal singles players," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Without 5 of top 15 players, Ankeny girls tumble to potent Johnston squad

‘We had a lot of positives’: Ankeny girls hope to build on 8-3 loss at Waukee

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team opened its season on Thursday with an 8-3 loss at Waukee in a CIML Conference meet. Ankeny coach Steve Smith said he felt better about this loss than last year's 6-5 defeat to the Warriors in the season opener. "A year ago, we lost to Waukee despite being the better team because they outcompeted us," said Smith. "I … [Read more...] about ‘We had a lot of positives’: Ankeny girls hope to build on 8-3 loss at Waukee

‘Our focus will be improving each day’: Hawkettes return 5 varsity regulars

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When the Ankeny girls' tennis team opens its season on April 4 at Waukee, the Hawkettes' lineup will feature a new No. 1 player. Kira Smith, a two-time state qualifier and the daughter of coach Steve Smith, is not on the team's roster. "Kira is training in Florida, and I’m preparing for the season as if she won’t be playing," said coach Smith. It … [Read more...] about ‘Our focus will be improving each day’: Hawkettes return 5 varsity regulars

DOUBLE BAGEL x 2: Centennial standout easily advances to Class 2A semifinals

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Abbie Peterson barely worked up a sweat during the opening day of the girls' state tennis tournament on Friday. The Ankeny Centennial junior won her first two matches without dropping a single game in the Class 2A singles division at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Center in Iowa City. Peterson raised her record to 16-0 on the season. "I thought I … [Read more...] about DOUBLE BAGEL x 2: Centennial standout easily advances to Class 2A semifinals

Jaguars earn trip to state team tourney with victory over rival Ankeny girls

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Six days ago, the Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team qualified all six of its players for the Class 2A individual state tournament. Now, the third-ranked Jaguars have qualified for the state team competition as well. Centennial posted a 5-0 victory over No. 10 Ankeny in a Class 2A regional final on Tuesday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Jaguars … [Read more...] about Jaguars earn trip to state team tourney with victory over rival Ankeny girls

Smith earns another trip to state with runner-up finish at regional tourney

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Ankeny sophomore Kira Smith has been battling an inflamed rotator cuff in her right shoulder for much of the girls' high school tennis season. The injury didn't prevent her from earning a second consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament. Smith placed second in singles in a Class 2A regional tournament on Wednesday at Valley. She advanced to the … [Read more...] about Smith earns another trip to state with runner-up finish at regional tourney

Another narrow loss drops Ankeny girls’ tennis team to 4-7 on season

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For the fourth time this season, the Ankeny girls' tennis team suffered a 6-5 loss on Monday--this time to Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference meet at the Waveland courts. The Roughriders won four of the six singles matches, then added two more victories in doubles to raise their record to 8-4. Tenth-ranked Ankeny dropped to 4-7. "We rested quite … [Read more...] about Another narrow loss drops Ankeny girls’ tennis team to 4-7 on season