Steve Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A year ago, Megan Sommerfeld advanced to the girls' state tennis tournament in singles, becoming Ankeny's first qualifier since the split into two high schools. Now, the seventh-ranked Hawkettes have achieved some more historic feats. Freshman Kira Smith won a Class 2A regional singles title on Wednesday at Ames, while the Ankeny doubles team of Anna … [Read more...] about Smith, Ankeny doubles team earn regional titles, advance to state tourney

The eighth-ranked Ankeny girls' tennis team tuned up for postseason play by posting a pair of victories on Friday at the Ankeny Quadrangular. The Hawkettes rolled to a 10-1 victory over Southeast Polk and also defeated Norwalk, 8-3. They were also supposed to play Marshalltown, but that match was cancelled due to a lack of time and the fact that the two … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll to wins over S.E. Polk, Norwalk at Ankeny Quadrangular

It didn't take long for coach Steve Smith to turn the Ankeny girls' tennis program around. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes clinched the CIML Iowa Conference title on Tuesday with a 9-2 victory at Ames. They finished 6-0 in the league and improved to 7-2 overall. "It's crazy how well this season is going," said Smith. "This was supposed to be next year's … [Read more...] about ‘This was supposed to be next year’s goal’: Hawkettes capture league crown