Mission accomplished for Hammond; Cougars doubles in semis again

IOWA CITY - Mission accomplished.

Cedar Rapids Washington's Katie Hammond wanted to reach the semifinals and she can check that off her to-do list.

Hammond posted an impressive quarterfinal win, knocking off third-seeded Jackie Pedersen of Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 2A state singles and doubles tournament Thursday at University of Iowa Tennis Center.

"I'm excited," Hammond said. "That was my goal to place top four."

Winning her first two match, including a straight set victory in the opening round, secured a top four finish. Hammond, who entered the tournament unseeded, has already improved last year's seventh place performance. She achieved her primary objective and anything else is a bonus. She can relax now and play as if she has nothing to lose.

"I'm relieved. I was nervous for (Thursday), because I wanted to get my goal," said Hammond, who faces Des Moines Roosevelt's Libby Caris in the semifinals. "(Friday), it's more of I'm happy to be here. I know I'm not seeded and I'll try to have a good match and see what happens."

Hammond grasped control of the match against Pedersen early and never released it. She won the last five points to win the first set 6-2, and then built a 5-0 lead in the second before closing it out, 6-2. The pair exchanged a number of shots, producing long, hard-fought points.

"The score doesn't tell how close that match was," Hammond said. "It was exhausting for both of us, I'm sure."

It may have been a little more tiring for Hammond who hustled all over the court to keep points alive. She said Pedersen did a good job of moving her around the court, but keeping the ball in play put pressure on her opponent. It led to key winners and some forced errors.

"My coach tells me you just have to get one more ball back," Hammond said. "He's like just fight for every ball."

Things got tight late as she found it hard to close out the match. Pedersen rallied for a service break and win two straight points. Her coaches helped calm her down and she shed any thoughts of collapsing.

"I just kept telling myself I couldn't let up. The worst I could do was stop trying or assume I had it," Hammond said. "She fights for everything."

Pedersen notched a 6-1, 6-1, opening round win over Newton's Taylor Soule. Kennedy Coach Joe Benedict said the possible match up stood out as he examined the brackets.

"I knew that would be a tough draw. Both players are really good," Benedict said. "A good player was going to lose one way or the other."

Hammond returned the favor to the Cougars, who bounced a seeded Warriors doubles team into the consolations. Kennedy's Sarah Lasecki and Kali Hildebrand battled from an early deficit to drop Washington's No. 4-seed Olivia Brooks and Kristin King, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Cougars might be suffering from deja vu. For the second straight year, Lasecki has been half of an unseeded doubles team that has reached the semifinal. Her team was third in 2010 and back in the top four this year. She has state success figured out.

"Maybe. I think it's more just focus and I go out and play to win," Lasecki said. "I think we've played harder teams this year. It's equivalent to what we did last year."

The three-set win was different. Brooks and King handled the Cougars in the first set, but they rebounded, pulling it together after early jitters.

"I think we were pretty nervous for the first set," Lasecki said. "Afterward we decided we weren't going to lose it just because we were nervous."

The Cougars appeared to build confidence as the match progressed. Both teams exchanged points until Kennedy won the final three to end it. Benedict said he was "extremely proud" of the come-from-behind win.

"Sarah and Kali battled back from a slow start," Benedict said, "and unfortunately Jackie got off to a slow start and it snowballed."

The doubles path remains similar to last year. Kennedy faces Iowa City West's top-seeded and defending state champions Lola White-Baer and Lilli Oetting. Muscatine's Angie Allgood and Hannah Eichelberger are also in the semifinals for the second straight year. White-Baer and Oetting handed Lasecki and then partner Christina Goeddel their only loss in the 2010 meet.

"Hopefully, we have a little different result," Benedict said. "We understand that we have to play extremely well to defeat the defending champs. They're there for a reason."

White-Baer and Oetting advanced with straight set wins over teams from Johnston and Clinton. They were tested in the first set by Johnston, winning 7-5. Oetting said they need to be more aggressive and have better footwork in the final two rounds.

Going for their second straight crown places a target on their back. Teams present their best effort, attempting to dethrone them.

"Thatcan put a little bit of extra pressure on you," Oetting said. "You feel you should be winning and the other team feels like they have nothing to lose. They just go for everything, so it can be a tough position to be in."

The consolation matches begin Friday at 9:30 a.m. with championship semifinals at 10.