Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Tennis

Smith earns No. 1 seed for 2A singles, could meet Peterson in quarterfinals

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The pairings for next week's boys' and girls' state tennis tournaments have been announced. Ankeny's Kira Smith is the No. 1 seed for the girls' Class 2A singles tournament, which will be held on Friday and Saturday at Iowa City. She will face Addison King of Cedar Falls in the opening round. Smith could potentially meet Ankeny Centennial's Samara … [Read more...] about Smith earns No. 1 seed for 2A singles, could meet Peterson in quarterfinals

Hawkettes, Jaguars fall to Pleasant Valley in Class 2A regional team tournament

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A long day in Pleasant Valley ended in similar fashion for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis teams. Both the Hawkettes and Jaguars saw their seasons come to an end with a loss to Pleasant Valley in a Class 2A regional team tournament on Tuesday. The Spartans posted a 5-1 victory over Centennial in the semifinal round, then battled Ankeny late … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars fall to Pleasant Valley in Class 2A regional team tournament

Hawkettes, Jaguars advance to regional semifinals on Tuesday at Pleasant Valley

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial advanced to the semifinal round of the girls' Class 2A regional team tennis competition with victories on Friday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Hawkettes posted a 5-0 win over Southeast Polk. They blanked the Rams (1-10) for the second time this season. "Our goal on the day was to not have to play doubles," said … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars advance to regional semifinals on Tuesday at Pleasant Valley

‘Kira was nothing less than perfect’: Smith advances to state without dropping game

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Ankeny girls' tennis coach Steve Smith almost couldn't believe what he was watching on Monday. His daughter, Kira, advanced to the Class 2A state tournament by winning a regional singles title at Marshalltown in spectacular fashion. The senior won three consecutive matches without dropping a single game and even recorded a golden set along the … [Read more...] about ‘Kira was nothing less than perfect’: Smith advances to state without dropping game

Postseason brackets announced for girls’ regional, boys’ substate team tennis

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All four of Ankeny's tennis teams will be in action this weekend in postseason play. Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' squads have been placed in Class 2A Region 3. The Hawkettes and Jaguars could potentially meet in the regional final, but would have to pull off an upset or two first in order for that to happen. Ankeny (3-8) will host … [Read more...] about Postseason brackets announced for girls’ regional, boys’ substate team tennis

Smith, Ankeny girls play their best tennis of season in 9-2 loss at Dowling Catholic

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Although the Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a pair of 9-2 decisions to Urbandale on Thursday and Dowling Catholic on Friday, the two meets could not have been any more different. That was the assessment of Ankeny coach Steve Smith, who said his team followed an uninspired performance against the J-Hawks by playing its best tennis of the season 24 hours … [Read more...] about Smith, Ankeny girls play their best tennis of season in 9-2 loss at Dowling Catholic

TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny’s Smith beats another top-10 foe despite cramping

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Ankeny senior Kira Smith proved again on Tuesday that she's one of the state's top girls' tennis players--even when she's not 100 percent. Smith provided the Hawkettes' lone victory during a 10-1 loss to visiting Waukee Northwest. She posted a 7-6 (3), 6-2 triumph over Riley Hilton at No. 1 singles. "Kira started cramping after she went up 3-0 in the … [Read more...] about TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny’s Smith beats another top-10 foe despite cramping

‘It was pretty cool to play at ISU’s facility’: Ankeny girls drop 7-4 decision to Bobcats

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Friday's Ankeny Quadrangular girls' tennis tournament didn't go as planned due to the rain. "We started our first meet in Ankeny against undefeated Marshalltown, but the rain forced us to move to Iowa State’s bubble and limited the event to just that meet," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith, whose team was also slated to play Dallas Center-Grimes and … [Read more...] about ‘It was pretty cool to play at ISU’s facility’: Ankeny girls drop 7-4 decision to Bobcats

‘It’s always fun to sweep a team’: Ankeny girls blank Rams for 1st shutout in 3 years

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For the first time in three years, the Ankeny girls' tennis team posted an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Hawkettes dominated a CIML Conference meet at Southeast Polk to keep the Rams winless. Coach Steve Smith's team improved to 2-3 in the league and 3-4 overall, while Southeast Polk's records dropped to 0-5 and 0-6. It was Ankeny's first shutout since … [Read more...] about ‘It’s always fun to sweep a team’: Ankeny girls blank Rams for 1st shutout in 3 years

TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny, Centennial squads get swept by Johnston, Dowling

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Tuesday was a rough night for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial tennis teams. All four squads suffered losses in CIML Conference play. At the Prairie Ridge courts, the Ankeny boys' team dropped an 11-0 decision to Johnston while the Centennial girls' squad was blanked by Dowling Catholic, 11-0. It was the fourth consecutive shutout loss for the Jaguars, … [Read more...] about TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny, Centennial squads get swept by Johnston, Dowling

TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny teams tumble to Waukee by same score, similar fashion

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The Ankeny tennis teams both lost to Waukee, 7-4, in CIML Conference action on Thursday. In both meets, the Warriors won four of the five doubles matches to seal the victory. In the girls' meet at Ankeny, the Hawkettes got singles wins from Sophie Schmitz, Olivia North and Satviki Gorrela. After dropping the first set, Schmitz rallied from a 4-1 deficit … [Read more...] about TENNIS ROUNDUP: Ankeny teams tumble to Waukee by same score, similar fashion

‘It was definitely fun’: Hawkettes defeat Centennial girls in Pink Out event, 8-3

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For only the second time ever, the Ankeny girls' tennis team earned a win against its crosstown rival. The Hawkettes posted an 8-3 victory over Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday at the Prairie Ridge courts, avenging last year's loss by the same score. They are now 1-1 in the CIML Conference and 2-2 overall, while the Jaguars' records dropped to 0-2 in the … [Read more...] about ‘It was definitely fun’: Hawkettes defeat Centennial girls in Pink Out event, 8-3

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kira Smith, Ankeny girls’ tennis

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Senior Kira Smith is a two-time state qualifier for the Ankeny girls' tennis team. She has rejoined the program after spending the last 1 1/2 years at the Gomez Tennis Academy in Naples, Fla. Smith placed fourth in singles in Class 2A as a freshman in 2022, equaling the highest finish ever by an Ankeny player. She posted a 20-3 record, then went 12-6 as a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kira Smith, Ankeny girls’ tennis

Depleted Ankeny girls’ team edges Ottumwa for its first victory of season

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Even without its top player, the Ankeny girls' tennis team split a pair of non-conference meets on Thursday and Friday. The Hawkettes dropped a 7-2 decision at Waterloo Columbus on Thursday before rebounding with a 6-5 victory over visiting Ottumwa on Friday. They are now 1-2 on the season. Ankeny played without senior Kira Smith, who suffered an … [Read more...] about Depleted Ankeny girls’ team edges Ottumwa for its first victory of season

‘Our team did a great job of competing’: Hawkettes open with 9-2 loss to Valley

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In its first test of the season, the Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a 9-2 decision to visiting Valley in a CIML Conference matchup on Tuesday. It was also the season opener for the Tigers, who won five of the six singles matches and four of the five doubles matches. "We’ve been having extremely intense practices the first two weeks to attempt to … [Read more...] about ‘Our team did a great job of competing’: Hawkettes open with 9-2 loss to Valley

Ankeny girls’ team returns several players, adds 2-time state qualifier Smith to lineup

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team has been strengthened by the addition of a two-time state qualifier. She's also a familiar face to the program. Senior Kira Smith, the daughter of Ankeny coach Steve Smith, has rejoined the squad after spending last year at a tennis academy in Florida. "She’s home this semester so she can graduate from Ankeny High … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ team returns several players, adds 2-time state qualifier Smith to lineup

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