Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Tennis

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

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Sydney Otto, Ankeny girls’ tennis

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Senior Sydney Otto has helped the Ankeny girls' tennis team to a 4-6 record. The Hawkettes posted wins over Marshalltown and Southeast Polk at the Ankeny Quadrangular on Friday. Otto was also a key player on the Ankeny volleyball squad last fall, helping the Hawkettes to the CIML Conference title and a 35-5 mark. The libero led the team with 402 digs, … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Sydney Otto, Ankeny girls’ tennis

Hawkettes post wins over Marshalltown, S.E. Polk at Ankeny Quadrangular

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On a day when the Ankeny girls' tennis team was planning to honor its seniors, Mother Nature refused to cooperate. The Hawkettes defeated a pair of opponents on Friday in the Ankeny Quadrangular, but their final match against unbeaten Norwalk was cancelled due to rain. "The weather also forced us to move our senior recognition ceremony indoors at the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes post wins over Marshalltown, S.E. Polk at Ankeny Quadrangular

Hawkettes drop 9-2 decision to No. 4 Valley, finish 2-6 in CIML Conference

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team closed out its CIML Conference schedule with a 9-2 loss to fourth-ranked Valley on Thursday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Tigers improved to 6-2 in the conference and 9-3 overall. Ankeny finished 2-6 in the league. "I was happy with how the team competed against one of the top teams in the state," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about Hawkettes drop 9-2 decision to No. 4 Valley, finish 2-6 in CIML Conference

Urbandale girls edge Hawkettes, 6-5, after Osburn exits with back injury

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An injury to Lauren Osburn proved costly on Wednesday for the Ankeny girls' tennis team. Osburn tweaked her back after winning the first set of her No. 3 singles match against visiting Urbandale. The senior went on to lose the match in three sets to Addy Danenhauer, who helped the J-Hawks to a 6-5 victory at the Prairie Ridge courts. "Unfortunately, … [Read more...] about Urbandale girls edge Hawkettes, 6-5, after Osburn exits with back injury

‘We were definitely motivated to win!’: Jaguars avenge last year’s loss to rival

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The third-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team avenged last year's loss to Ankeny with an 11-0 victory over the No. 9 Hawkettes on Thursday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Jaguars won 10 of the 11 matches in straight sets. The only exception came at No. 6 singles, where Ankeny's Sophie Schmitz lost by injury default after dropping the first set to … [Read more...] about ‘We were definitely motivated to win!’: Jaguars avenge last year’s loss to rival

Ankeny girls overcome slow start for 8-3 victory, will face Jaguars on Thursday

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A slow start could have been costly for the Ankeny girls' tennis team on Tuesday. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes recovered, however, and went on to beat visiting Waukee Northwest, 8-3, in a CIML Conference meet. "The good news is that we won our third-set tiebreakers," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith. "The bad news is we came out flat and put ourselves in a … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls overcome slow start for 8-3 victory, will face Jaguars on Thursday

Hawkettes continue to battle injuries, drop 10-1 decision at Dowling Catholic

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It was a deceiving 10-1 loss for the Ankeny girls' tennis team on Thursday at second-ranked Dowling Catholic. Down three of their top six players due to injuries, the No. 9 Hawkettes put up a strong fight against the defending state champion Maroons. "It might seem odd given the score, but I think this is the best we've competed this year," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawkettes continue to battle injuries, drop 10-1 decision at Dowling Catholic

Short-handed Ankeny girls pick up slack, romp to 9-2 win at S.E. Polk

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Even without two of its varsity regulars, the Ankeny girls' tennis team rolled to a 9-2 victory at Southeast Polk in a CIML Conference matchup on Tuesday. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes played without Kira Smith and Payton Blume, who are both battling injuries. "Everyone had to step up their game," said Ankeny coach Steve Smith. Ankeny won four of the … [Read more...] about Short-handed Ankeny girls pick up slack, romp to 9-2 win at S.E. Polk

Ankeny girls rack up 157 points, defend their title at Boone Invitational

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team dominated the Boone Invitational on Friday. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes won the tournament for the second straight year. They racked up 157 points in the five-team field. Indianola placed second with 126. Des Moines Roosevelt was third with 111, followed by Boone with 96 and Des Moines Lincoln with 50. Ankeny was led by … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rack up 157 points, defend their title at Boone Invitational

Showing a lot of progress, Hawkettes battle Johnston to wire before falling, 6-5

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Coach Steve Smith tried to look on the bright side after his ninth-ranked Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a 6-5 decision at No. 8 Johnston on Tuesday. "We lost under our conference rules, but we would have won 5-4 under the state's postseason format with six singles and three doubles matches," Smith said. "I'm not real big on moral victories, but it's a … [Read more...] about Showing a lot of progress, Hawkettes battle Johnston to wire before falling, 6-5

‘We just got outcompeted’: Hawkettes lose 7 tiebreakers, fall to Waukee

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The Ankeny girls' tennis team finally opened its season on Monday. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes discovered that they still have some more work to do. Visiting Waukee bounced back from an 11-0 loss to No. 6 Ankeny Centennial on Thursday by defeating Ankeny, 6-5, in a CIML Conference dual meet on the same courts at Prairie Ridge. The Warriors (1-1) won all … [Read more...] about ‘We just got outcompeted’: Hawkettes lose 7 tiebreakers, fall to Waukee

Talented Ankeny girls focusing more on process goals rather than outcomes

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The ceiling appears to be very high for the Ankeny girls' tennis team. The Hawkettes return several varsity regulars from last year's squad that posted a 14-3 record. They advanced to the Class 2A state team tournament before dropping a 5-0 decision in the opening round to eventual champion Dowling Catholic, which handed Ankeny two of its three … [Read more...] about Talented Ankeny girls focusing more on process goals rather than outcomes

Smith places 4th in Class 2A, equaling highest finish ever by player from Ankeny

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Ankeny's Kira Smith will likely have three more chances to win a girls' state tennis title. And next time, Dowling Catholic's Allison Szalay won't be in her way. Smith's bid for the Class 2A singles crown came to an end on Saturday morning, when the fourth-seeded freshman dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision to the top-seeded and defending champion Szalay in … [Read more...] about Smith places 4th in Class 2A, equaling highest finish ever by player from Ankeny

NO ORDINARY SMITH: Ankeny freshman advances to Class 2A singles semifinals

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A dramatic rally allowed Ankeny freshman Kira Smith to advance to the semifinals of the Class 2A singles bracket in the girls' state tennis tournament on Friday at Waukee Northwest. The fourth-seeded Smith won the final four games in the third set to post a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over Sasha Hyacinth of Waterloo West in the quarterfinals. She raised her … [Read more...] about NO ORDINARY SMITH: Ankeny freshman advances to Class 2A singles semifinals

‘Dowling is just that good’: No. 1 Maroons end Ankeny’s run at state team tourney

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Ankeny girls' tennis coach Steve Smith had no reasons to be disappointed following his squad's 5-0 loss to top-ranked Dowling Catholic in the opening round of the Class 2A state team tournament on Saturday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Maroons (11-0) are likely headed to a state championship. "I thought everyone played pretty well despite the … [Read more...] about ‘Dowling is just that good’: No. 1 Maroons end Ankeny’s run at state team tourney