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Armando Espinosa

Peterson places 4th in singles, while Guan sisters finish 6th in doubles

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On one of the first few points of a Class 2A semifinal match between Ankeny Centennial's Abbie Peterson and Dowling Catholic's Allison Szalay, the two players traded groundstrokes back and forth for more than a minute before Peterson finally won the point. But the talented freshman decided that she didn't want to play the entire girls' tennis match in … [Read more...] about Peterson places 4th in singles, while Guan sisters finish 6th in doubles

Peterson advances to Class 2A semifinals, while Guans earn top-8 finish

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Ankeny Centennial's Abbie Peterson is just two wins away from winning a state tennis title as a freshman. Peterson advanced to the semifinals of the girls' Class 2A singles tournament with a pair of victories on Wednesday at Iowa City. She will play second-seeded Allison Szalay of Dowling Catholic on Thursday morning. "There was no clear cut No. 1 seed … [Read more...] about Peterson advances to Class 2A semifinals, while Guans earn top-8 finish

Centennial girls advance 4 players to state for only 2nd time in school history

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team dominated a Class 2A regional singles and doubles tournament on Thursday at Fort Dodge. The Jaguars advanced four players to the state tournament for only the second time in school history. In 2017, Centennial swept the doubles competition, qualifying both of its teams for state. On Thursday, the Jaguars swept … [Read more...] about Centennial girls advance 4 players to state for only 2nd time in school history

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jenna Benkufsky, Centennial girls’ tennis

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Freshman Jenna Benkufsky has helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team to a 7-2 record. She often plays No. 5 doubles with senior Ellie Froehlich. The Jaguars captured the CIML Iowa Conference title on Monday with an 11-0 victory at Fort Dodge. "Jenna has helped strengthen our doubles lineup," said Centennial coach Armando Espinosa. … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jenna Benkufsky, Centennial girls’ tennis

No. 4 Centennial girls ‘stay focused’ during 11-0 rout over Mohawks

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The fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team just keeps rolling along. The Jaguars romped to an 11-0 victory at Mason City on Tuesday without dropping a set. They lost only 17 games in the entire match. "We played pretty well, considering the length of the trip," said Centennial coach Armando Espinosa. "We stayed focused, and hopefully we … [Read more...] about No. 4 Centennial girls ‘stay focused’ during 11-0 rout over Mohawks

Jaguars adjust to conditions, romp to shutout over Ames in top-10 matchup

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It was another dominating performance by the Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team. The fourth-ranked Jaguars defeated No. 7 Ames, 11-0, on Thursday at the Prairie Ridge courts. They improved to 3-0 in the CIML Iowa Conference and 5-1 overall, while the Little Cyclones' records dropped to 2-1 and 5-3. "I was very pleased how we competed and how we … [Read more...] about Jaguars adjust to conditions, romp to shutout over Ames in top-10 matchup

Centennial girls extend winning streak with 9-2 victory over Waukee

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team extended its winning streak to four matches with a 9-2 victory over visiting Waukee in a non-conference meet on Tuesday. The fourth-ranked Jaguars won five of the six singles matches and four of the five doubles matches. They improved to 4-1 on the season, while No. 6 Waukee's record dropped to 2-3. "That was a … [Read more...] about Centennial girls extend winning streak with 9-2 victory over Waukee

Centennial tennis teams sweep “Pink Out” event against rival Ankeny

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Thursday's Jag-Hawk doubleheader at the Prairie Ridge courts featured a lot of great tennis and four teams battling a common opponent. "It was a fantastic night for our fifth annual 'Pink Out' event," said Ankeny Centennial boys' coach Tami Lewton. "It was so awesome to see four teams about to compete come together to fight one enemy--cancer." All four … [Read more...] about Centennial tennis teams sweep “Pink Out” event against rival Ankeny

Jaguars tune up for showdown against Ankeny with 10-1 win at Roosevelt

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team was missing one of its top players on Tuesday. The Jaguars did just fine without her. Centennial rolled to a 10-1 victory at Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference meet. "Claudia Guan was ill so we had to experiment with some new (doubles) teams, and the girls responded well," said Centennial coach Armando … [Read more...] about Jaguars tune up for showdown against Ankeny with 10-1 win at Roosevelt

Jaguars earn runner-up finish at Johnston Invite behind Petersen, Gustafson

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team took second place in the Johnston Invitational on Friday. The tournament featured three of the top six teams in Class 2A. Top-ranked Dowling Catholic won the team title. The No. 6 Jaguars edged No. 4 Valley for the runner-up spot after losing to the Tigers, 6-5, in their season opener on Tuesday. Abbie Petersen … [Read more...] about Jaguars earn runner-up finish at Johnston Invite behind Petersen, Gustafson

No. 6 Centennial girls open their season with 6-5 loss at No. 4 Valley

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Even in a loss, the Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team showed a glimpse of its potential on Tuesday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars opened their season with a 6-5 loss at No. 4 Valley. It was the team's first meet under new head coach Armando Espinosa. "It was a great match," Espinosa said. "We fought very hard." Centennial won four of the six singles … [Read more...] about No. 6 Centennial girls open their season with 6-5 loss at No. 4 Valley

No. 6 Centennial girls to rely heavily on senior duo of Gustafson, Guan

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis team is ranked sixth in Class 2A in the preseason rankings. The Jaguars will find out on Tuesday if they deserve that ranking when they open the season at No. 4 Valley. "I think the girls have done a really nice job at adapting to my way of coaching and practice," said Centennial coach Armando Espinosa. "I guess we … [Read more...] about No. 6 Centennial girls to rely heavily on senior duo of Gustafson, Guan

First-year coaches Varnum, Espinosa deal with devastation of lost season

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Perhaps nobody was more excited to coach his team this spring than Ankeny boys' soccer coach Marcus Varnum. Unless it was Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis coach Armando Espinosa. Both Espinosa and Varnum were first-year head coaches who had their debut seasons wiped out by the coronavirus. Espinosa, the head tennis professional at Ames Fitness Center, … [Read more...] about First-year coaches Varnum, Espinosa deal with devastation of lost season