Roughriders win doubles title; MVC sweeps third-place medals

CEDAR RAPIDS - Des Moines Roosevelt's Harrison Kruse has had an eventful week, but he was glad it ended on a high note.

Kruse, a senior tennis standout for the Roughriders, suffered loss, but then experienced triumph before rushing back home for his high school graduation.

He teamed with Will Hemminger to capture the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 2A state doubles title Saturday at Clark Racquet Center at Coe College, moving from Veterans Memorial Tennis Center after a two-hour rain delay. It was their second title in three seasons, winning the 2009 doubles crown.

This was a challenging week for Kruse, who will continue his tennis career at San Diego State.

“For me, it was tough because my grandpa died last Sunday,” Kruse said. “We had the funeral Thursday and we drove down here so that made it a lot tougher. It's good to have something happy at the end.”

Roosevelt coach Debbie Stetson said it was the first time the 18-year-old ever attended a family funeral. She said camaraderie with Hemminger and teammate Naveen Nath, who was the singles runner-up, helped Kruse cope.

"I think bonding with Naveen and Will on the car ride over here helped," Stetson said. "He and Will have played well all year ... this was their goal all year to come back and defend their title from two years ago."

The result was a second state doubles crown for the duo. They won the championship in 2009 and both spent last year at separate tennis academies in Florida, according to Kruse.

The Roughriders ran roughshod over the competition, beating Victor Wang and Calvin Song, 6-0, 6-1, in the championship. Kruse and Hemminger didn't allow more than two set points, winning three of their last six 6-0. They claimed all four contests in straight sets, including a 6-0, 6-2 semifinal win over Linn-Mar's Tyler McCann and Gavin Young.

“We were kind of expecting it,” Kruse said. “A lot of people that had given us challenges in (my) sophomore year were going singles this year or had graduated.”

That was exactly where Kruse was heading after the awards ceremony. With all of the events outside of tennis occurring, Kruse was able to maintain his focus on the court.

“It wasn't that hard,” Kruse said. “I just got in the mode to play.

“It was fun to win our last match.”

West Des Moines Dowling's Elliott Baker won his final match as a prep, beating Nath, 6-0, 6-1, in the finals. The title concluded a prep career, consisting of four state medals including a singles silver in 2009 and a bronze in doubles a year ago.

"It's been one of my goals since I was a little kid," said Baker, who finished 20-0 this season. "It feels awesome."

Few were as impressive as Baker, who only surrendered five games all tournament. Three of those were in his 6-2, 6-1 semifinal win over Iowa City West's Kyle Appel. Baker said he played well, but he came out on top of many hard-fought battles.

"There were a lot of close games and close points that I just made sure to grind them out," Baker said. "The other key was constantly staying ahead of my opponent and making him feel uncomfortable."

Kennedy junior Riley Galbraith competes in the semifinal round of the state tennis tournament, Saturday May 28, 2011 in Cedar Rapids. (Becky Malewitz/SourceMedia Group News)

Appel rebounded for a 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5) super tiebreaker victory over Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Riley Galbraith. He finished with a 26-2 singles record and added a medal to his sixth-place finish last year as a freshman. It was the highest finish for a West player since Quentin Adams was second in 2008.

"I did better than last year, which is good for me," Appel said. "It's definitely an improvement."

The third-place match was a rematch of the district final. Appel won that in straight sets but this one was a tougher test to overcome.

"I think it was tough for both of us coming off losses in the semifinal," Appel said. "Nonetheless it was a great battle. We both fought hard."

Galbraith was knocked out of the winners bracket in a marathon match against Nath, who advanced to the championship with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win. They exchanged points and service breaks after being suspended by rain tied at deuce with Nath holding a 5-4 second-set lead.

Linn-Mar Senior Gavin Young competes in the third place doubles match during the state tennis tournament, Saturday May 28, 2011 in Cedar Rapids. (Becky Malewitz/SourceMedia Group News)

Galbraith, a member of the soccer team was keeping tabs on the Cougars substate soccer game at Kingston Stadium during the delay, entered the tournament unseeded. He advanced to the semifinals, knocking off second-seeded Kyle Johnson, who was half of the Bulldogs' 2010 state champion doubles team, and placed fourth.

McCann and Young rebounded to win their last match as well. The fourth-seeded Lions beat Pleasant Valley's Max Bramer and Andrew Hartman in a three-set super tiebreaker. McCann said the finish meant they beat some of the best teams in state.

“Third means we won more matches than the second-place team so that's a bright side to this whole thing,” said McCann, who played on the sixth-place state doubles team last year. “We'll take third place.”

While McCann returns for next season, Young capped his career with a state medal. One he plans to display on a shelf to be a lasting reminder of his final accomplishment.

“My senior year it's great to be in third place,” said Young, who will attend Iowa State and plans to play club tennis. “My first time at state and getting third that's pretty good.”

Cedar Rapids Washington's Mitch Anderson and Clayton Hoyt placed fifth. It was Anderson second straight top-six state doubles finish.