Steve Smith

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

Another cold and windy day provided a challenge for the Ankeny girls' tennis team. This time, the ninth-ranked Hawkettes didn't adjust well to the tough conditions. Ankeny dropped a 10-1 decision at No. 5 Johnston in a non-conference meet on Monday. The Dragons (4-1) rebounded after suffering their first loss of the season, 7-3, at No. 2 Valley on … [Read more...] about ‘Johnston was simply better’: Ankeny girls suffer 10-1 loss to No. 5 Dragons

The Dowling Catholic girls' tennis team might be the state's best squad--even without Allison Szalay. The top-ranked Maroons posted an 11-0 victory in a non-conference meet at No. 9 Ankeny on Tuesday. They played without Szalay, the defending Class 2A champion in singles. Szalay also plays goalkeeper for the Dowling girls' soccer squad and dislocated … [Read more...] about No. 1 Dowling girls blank Ankeny, even without defending state singles champ