Prairie Hawks move up and on to state

CEDAR RAPIDS – If the Cedar Rapids Prairie girls' tennis team were to earn their first team state tournament berth in Coach Scott Leggat's 13 years at the helm, it would come with an adjusted lineup.

With No. 2 singles player Magui Caro out due to illness, Leggat bumped all but top singles player Vale Caro up a spot. The Hawks responded with a 5-3 win over Iowa City West in a Class 2A team regional final Saturday at the Prairie tennis courts.

'It's awesome just for the kids,” Leggat said. 'Last year we came up short and they were so disappointed. The big thing is they just had to believe in themselves, come out and play their game.”

Prairie (13-2) and West split the six singles' matches. Sophomore Vale Caro defeated Megan Jans, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 1 singles. Junior Lauren O'Brian would have been the one left off the singles lineup if Prairie had a healthy roster. Instead, she charged out with the Hawks' first singles victory, 6-0, 6-2, against Abby Walling.

'She got on a roll,” Leggat said. 'She got a lot of confidence and rolled down there at six. That was a big boost.”

Sophomore Karleigh Schilling moved up to No. 2 and notched a crucial singles win, 6-3, 6-2, over Hannah Smigel. Schilling then teamed with freshman Anna Postnikov and sent the Hawks to state with a thrilling, 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 doubles victory over Smigel and Abby Jans.

'It was good,” Schilling said. 'Since Magui's been gone, I've hit with Vale a lot in practice and I think that's helped me hit harder and step up my game for today.”

Prairie will open the 2A team state tournament on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Center.

'It means so much,” Schilling said. 'All this year, we've been like, ‘We want the banner.' Just getting it is surreal, it's so exciting.”

MCCANN LOCKED IN AS NO. 1 LINN-MAR ROLLS

Top-ranked Linn-Mar is a team state qualifier for the third time in four years after the Lions defeated rival Cedar Rapids Washington, 5-0, in a boys' tennis substate final Saturday at the Washington tennis courts.

'It's never easy,” Linn-Mar Coach Chris Wundram said. 'And any time you play Washington there's a history of good matches between us so it kind of amps everything up.”

Seniors Tim Paulson and Trevor McCann set the tone early with quick singles' outcomes at the top of the lineup. Paulson ousted Washington's Jackson Hoyt, 6-1, 6-1, while McCann blanked Parker Muller, 6-0, 6-0.

McCann's performance was much different from his regular-season meeting with Muller in which he was extended to a third-set tiebreaker, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.

'I think with today being substate, you have a different mindset coming in than during the regular season,” McCann said. 'You can tell we really wanted this one. Me and Tim being seniors, this being our last go-around, so we obviously elevated our play today and it really showed.”

Senior Ben Myers clinched the dual with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win in a third-set tiebreaker over Oliver Hammond. Freshman Lucas Huffman and sophomore Shane Skvor also won singles' matches for Linn-Mar (17-0). The Lions were team state runner-up last year and have been ranked No. 1 by the Iowa Tennis Coaches Association all season.

'I think we have bigger dreams and goals to accomplish this year,” McCann said.

The Class 2A team state tournament is June 2 in Ankeny.

XAVIER GIRLS WORK QUICK

Cedar Rapids Xavier received wins from its top five singles' players and quickly dispatched Pella, 5-0, in a Class 1A regional final Saturday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City.

Senior Allison Jasper posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lily Roozeboom. Twins Jeanne and Claire Bouchard also posted singles' victories, but the quickest workers came at four and five for Xavier. Juniors Katie Neumeyer (6-2, 6-0 over Anna Jaarsma) and Megan D'mello (6-0, 6-1 against Anne Williamson) had early front-row seats for the regional clincher.

'Everybody knows about Allison and the twins at the top,” Xavier Coach Matt Foxhoven said. 'But four, five and six this year, I think, are very deep and can compete with anybody.”

The Saints are eager to return to the team state tournament, which is June 6 at Ankeny. Xavier finished third at state last season after losing to eventual state champion Waterloo Columbus.

'Regardless of who we're playing going forward, we'll be ready,” Foxhoven said. 'I think our team is very deep top to bottom this year. That's where we have an advantage sometimes.”

GIRLS' TENNIS REGIONALS

AT ELDRIDGE

Clinton 5, Linn-Mar 4

Singles - Samantha Brisch (CLIN) def. Nicole Glanz 6-0, 6-4; Justine Lange (CLIN) def. Jamie Wantock 6-1, 6-0; Riley Hubbart (CLIN) def. Megan Burr 7-5, 6-2; Alice Kirsch (LM) def. Elley Housenga 7-6, 6-1; Kiersten Housenga (CLIN) def. Katie Nowak 6-1, 6-2; Lauren Resewehr (LM) def. Malika Usmanova 7-6, 6-1.

Doubles - Brisch/Riley Hubart (CLIN) def. Glanz/Wantock 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5); Burr/Carpenter (LM) def. Lange/K Housenga 6-1, 6-4; Nowak/Resewehr (LM) def. Usmanova/Kaitlyn Green (CLIN) 6-2, 6-4.

Iowa City High 5, C.R. Kennedy 0

Singles - Eve Small def. Shelby Cook 6-0, 6-0; Innes Hicsamaz def. Veena Venkatesh 6-0, 6-2; Susanna Gianola vs. Gabby Olejniczak 6-0, 3-3 (did not finish); Kit Finley def. Lydia Yang 6-1, 6-1; Lucy Wagner def. Renee Mittelberg 6-1, 6-0; Bihotza James def. Aubree Langhurst 6-2, 6-0.

AT WATERLOO

C.R. Washington 5, Marshalltown 0

Singles - Lilly Hartman def. Megan Riemenschneider 6-0, 6-0; Hannah Sherman def. Immaculate Edwin 6-0, 6-0; Kelly King def. Kaitlyn Martin 6-0, 6-0; Jennifer Greif def. Maggie Grimm 6-0, 6-0; Eliza Sundermann def. Kaelin Lents 6-0, 6-0; Laura Gibson def. Olivia Ryan 6-0, 6-0.

C.R. Washington 5, Cedar Falls 0

Singles - Lilly Hartman def. Madison McCann 6-2, did not finish; Hannah Sherman def. Becky Hughes 6-1, 6-2; Kelly King def. Ariana Mitra 6-1, 6-2; Jennifer Greif def. Emma Redington 6-2, 6-0; Eliza Sundermann def. Rachel Paup 6-2, 6-2; Laura Gibson def. Kalleigh Kress 6-0, 6-0.

AT C.R. PRAIRIE

C.R. Prairie 5, Dubuque Hempstead 0

Singles - Vale Caro def. Morgan Streff 6-0, 6-1; Karleigh Schilling def. Kasey Davis 6-3, 6-1; Shannon Costigan def. Syd Connolly 6-1, 6-3; Anna Postinkov def. Taylor Edminster 6-4, 6-1; Michelle Grenn def. Lauren Ludesher 6-1, 6-3; Lauren O'Brian def. Lauren Tressell 6-0, 5-1.

C.R. Prairie 5, Iowa City West 3

Singles - Vale Caro (CRP) def. Megan Jans, 6-3, 6-1; Karleigh Schilling (CRP) def. Hannah Smigal 6-3, 6-2; Brittani Langland (ICW) def. Shannon Costigan 6-2, 6-2; Abby Jans (ICW) def. Anna Postnikov 7-5, 6-1; Simran Sarin (ICW) def. Michelle Grenn 0-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5); Lauren O'Brian (CRP) def. Abby Walling 6-0, 6-2

Doubles - Caro/Grenn (CRP) def. M. Jans/Langland 6-4, 6-5; Schilling/Postnikov (CRP) def. Smigal/A. Jans 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6); O'Brian/Maddie Renner (CRP) def. Sarin/Walling 6-0, 6-2.

AT UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

TENNIS CENTER

C.R. Xavier 5, Pella 0

Singles - Allison Jasper def. Lily Roozeboom 6-2, 6-2; Jeanne Bouchard def. Bronwyn Metcalf 6-3, 6-4; Claire Bouchard def. Lauren Kreigel 6-3, 6-3; Katie Neumeyer def. Anna Jaarsma 6-2, 6-0; Megan D'mello def. Anne Williamson 6-0, 6-1; Nina Marquardt def. Cecily Johnson 5-7, 2-2, DNF.

BOYS' TENNIS SUBSTATE

AT C.R. WASHINGTON

C.R. Washington 5, Cedar Falls 2

Singles - Andy Mong (CF) def. Jackson Hoyt 6-3, 6-4; Vineel Mallavavapa (CF) def. Parker Muller 6-0, 6-4; Oliver Hammond (CRW) def. Michael Flanscha 6-0, 6-4; Dane Van Antwerp (CRW) def. Mitch Dekutoskill 6-3, 6-2; Will Rizer (CRW) def. Joe Schneider 6-3, 6-0; Jack Parmley (CRW) def. Daniel Licari 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles - Muller/Parmley (CRW) def. Dekutoski/Schneider 6-1, 6-1.

Linn-Mar 5, Dubuque Senior 0

Singles - Tim Paulson (LM) vs. Gus Zucoziro (DS) did not finish; Trevor McCann def. Jacob Mozena 6-1, 6-0; Ben Myers def. Nick Woodward 6-3, 6-0; Shane Skvor def. Jack Sampson-Brown 6-1, 6-0; Kyle Brendes def. Drake Oswald 6-0, 6-0; Lucas Huffman def. Ryan Fair 6-0, 6-3.

Linn-Mar 5, C.R. Washington 0

Singles - Tim Paulson def. Jackson Hoyt 6-1, 6-1; Trevor McCann def. Parker Muller 6-0, 6-0; Ben Myers def. Oliver Hammond 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; Shane Skvor def. Dane Van Antwerp 6-4, 6-1; Kyle Brendes (LM) vs. Will Rizer (CRW) did not finish; Lucas Huffman def. Jack Parmley 7-5, 6-1.

AT RIVERDALE

Pleasant Valley 5, Iowa City High 4

Singles - Joe Hoff (ICH) def. Charlie Humes 6-7 (0), 6-4, 6-4; Sriram Sugomaran(PV) def. Max Gruber 6-1, 6-1; Kunj Saxena (ICH) def. Vincent Gnad 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Greg Hensley (ICH) def. Ajay Penmatcha 6-2, 6-3; Drew Jaspers (ICH) def. Jeffrey Kardell 6-2, 1-6, 6-3; Aditya Subramanjam (PV) def. Kurt Blankenheim 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles - Sugumaran/Penmatcha (PV) def. Hoff/Hensley 6-4, 6-4; Humes/Subramanjam (PV) def. Gruber/Saxena 6-3, 7-6 (4); Gnad/Kardell (PV) def. Gabe Weigel/Jaspers 6-3, 6-3.

AT WATERLOO

Decorah 5, C.R. Xavier 2

Singles - Caleb Ulring (DEC) def. Ben Curley 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; Jon Lansing (CRX) defeated Ryan Hageman 6-3, 7-5; Charlie Esker (CRX) defeated Brett LaRue 5-7, 6-1, 6-2; Karl Sand (DEC) defeated Jack VonKampen 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Gable Lonning (DEC) defeated Alex Hinrichs 6-1, 6-1; Ross Gentry (DEC) defeated Blake Magill 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles - Hageman/Gentry (DEC) defeated Grant Gibney/Hinrichs 6-1, 6-3.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com