Linn-Mar girls, Washington boys notch statement tennis wins

MARION – Linn-Mar girls' tennis coach Stacie Carpenter was hoping for success against Cedar Rapids Washington, but even she was surprised by the end result.

The Lions continued their stellar season by winning five of six singles matches and defeated the Warriors in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual, 7-2, Saturday at the Linn-Mar tennis courts.

'I thought we were strong down at our bottom, four, five and six,' Carpenter said. 'But I was really happy, too, when Ellie (Anderson) won her singles because that was a great win for her.'

Anderson faced a familiar foe at No. 1 singles in Washington's Hannah Sherman and used a dizzying combination of forceful serves and sideline-to-sideline volleys to keep the Warrior junior off balance. Anderson closed with six of seven games and won the match, 10-6.

'I tried to frustrate her by moving her short and deep,' Anderson said. 'I was down in the beginning but once I got the hang of moving her, I think I got more confidence.'

Seniors Jessica Carpenter and Alice Kirsch began the scoring with comfortable singles victories at slots five and six, while Megan Burr extended the Linn-Mar lead to 3-0 with a 10-7 victory over Washington's Abby Van Metre.

Senior Jamie Wantock clinched the dual for the Lions before doubles play began with a nip-and-tuck 10-8 edge against Eliza Sundermann.

'Consistency and hitting longer shots,' Wantock said when asked what allowed her to prevail. 'She has a killer forehand, really good, and I had to keep her on her toes.'

Linn-Mar (9-1, 7-0 MVC) blanked Kennedy in the afternoon dual, 9-0, and will face a trio of unbeaten teams over the next 12 days in Prairie, Dubuque Hempstead and Iowa City West.

NEW NO. 1 WASH BOYS ROLL

When the Iowa Tennis Coaches poll was released Monday, there was a new No. 1.

Cedar Rapids Washington (11-0, 7-0 MVC) found itself atop the rankings for the first time this season, and the Warriors validated the achievement with an 8-1 thumping of fifth-ranked defending state champion Linn-Mar Saturday at the Washington courts.

'We're pretty confident as a group because of the fact that that a majority of the players play year-round,' Washington Coach Rusty Graff said. 'I think they are trying to look at the season more as a marathon instead of a sprint.'

Jackson Hoyt and Parker Muller collected victories at the top of the lineup, while freshman Ty Sherman and juniors Will Rizer and Ethan Wickham helped clinch the dual before doubles.

Washington travels to second-ranked Iowa City West next Saturday.

AT MARION

Linn-Mar 7, C.R. Washington 2

Singles —

Ellie Anderson (LM) def. Hannah Sherman, 10-6; Kelly King (CRW) def. Nicole Glanz, 10-6; Jamie Wantock (LM) def. Eliza Sundermann, 10-8; Megan Burr (LM) def. Abby VanMetre, 10-7; Jessica Carpenter (LM) def. Kayti Schuler, 10-2; Alice Kirsch (LM) def. Lindsay Parks, 10-1.

Doubles —

Sherman/King (CRW) def. Anderson/Glanz, 10-7; Wantock/Burr (LM) def. Sunderman/Van Metre, 10-3; Carpenter/Kirsch (LM) def. Schuler/Steph Kapler, 10-0.

AT C.R. WASHINGTON

C.R. Washington 8, Linn-Mar 1

Singles —

Jackson Hoyt def. Ben Hediger, 6-4, 6-0; Parker Muller def. Lucas Huffman, 7-6(2), 6-0; Shane Skvor (LM) def Rami Scheetz, 7-5, 6-7(5), 1-0 (5); Will Rizer def. Kathir Pandian, 6-3, 6-1; Ty Sherman def. Zack Glanz, 6-0, 6-1; Ethan Wickham def. Jack Albert, 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles —

Hoyt/Muller def. Hediger/Huffman, 6-0 6-2; Scheetz/Sherman def. Pandian/Glanz, 6-4 6-1; Rizer/Wickham def. Skvor/Albert, 6-3 6-3.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com