Cedar Rapids Prairie girls, Linn-Mar and Xavier boys march on in prep tennis state title chase

CEDAR RAPIDS - The high school team tennis state tournaments added a trio of Metro participants.

Defending Class 2A girls' state champion Cedar Rapids Prairie earned a spot for the third year in a row after a 5-2 victory over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a regional final Monday at the Prairie High School tennis courts.

'It's a huge accomplishment,” Prairie Coach Scott Leggat said. 'Their work ethic and the time they put in has paid off for them. A great group of kids. They've been fun to work with.”

In the morning semifinals, Prairie eliminated Cedar Falls and Kennedy turned away Dubuque Senior by identical 5-0 scores.

Junior Anna Postnikov and seniors Vale Caro and Karleigh Schilling got the Hawks (13-2) started early against the Cougars with a succession of singles wins.

Senior Madie Renner brought Prairie to the brink of the state berth with a rally from a 5-2 second-set deficit against Cali Trueblood in a 6-1, 7-5 singles victory.

After Kennedy sophomores Reya Sands and Lily Gust each claimed singles wins to force doubles play, Renner and playing partner Haley Stecklien clinched it for the Hawks, 6-2, 6-3 over Gust and Sands.

'It really means a lot,” Renner said. 'We worked so hard for this. I'm just so honored to have such great teammates. I'm so excited.”

Veterans Memorial Tennis Center will host a pair of 2A girls' state quarterfinals Tuesday at 3 p.m. Prairie will play Iowa City West (18-1), while Linn-Mar (12-7) tackles defending state runner-up Pleasant Valley (21-0).

In Class 1A, 2016 third-place finisher Decorah fell short of the state tournament after a 5-0 loss to Waverly-Shell Rock, while Mount Vernon (12-2) was eliminated by the same score against four-time defending state champion Waterloo Columbus.

The boys' tennis teams for Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Xavier both qualified for the team state semifinals in their respective classes.

At Ames, Class 2A third-ranked Linn-Mar (15-2) blanked Ottumwa in a substate final, 5-0, then returned to the state semifinals for the third time in four years with a 5-1 victory over host Ames in the state quarterfinal.

'My guys are battle-tested,” Linn-Mar Coach Chris Wundram said. 'We came out as a team that was just stronger and I don't think Ames had maybe seen that level of competition. It really showed that playing a tough schedule really helps.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier (12-4) eliminated host Waterloo Columbus in a 1A substate final, then rallied past defending 1A state champion Dubuque Wahlert, 5-4, in the state quarterfinal.

The Lions will join No. 1 Iowa City West at the Class 2A boys' tennis team state semifinals May 30 at Prairie Ridge Sports Complex in Ankeny. Waveland Tennis Courts in Des Moines will host the 1A field.

Girls' tennis

AT C.R. PRAIRIE

Class 2A regional semifinals

Cedar Rapids Kennedy 5, Dubuque Senior 0

Cedar Rapids Prairie 5, Cedar Falls 0

Singles -

Vale Caro def. Krisha keeran 6-0, 6-1; Anna Postnikov def. Meghan Saak 6-2, 6-1; Karleigh Schilling def. Payton Wageman, 6-0, 6-1; Madie Renner def. Jamie Knox, 6-2, 6-1; Haley Stecklien def. Claire Fienup, 6-1, 6-1.

Class 2A regional final

Cedar Rapids Prairie 5, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 2

Singles -

Vale Caro (CRP) def. Shelby Cook, 6-2, 6-0; Anna Postnikov (CRP) def. Veena Venkatesh, 6-1, 6-2; Karleigh Schilling (CRP) def. Sydney Powers, 6-2, 6-1, Madi Renner (CRP) def. Cali Trueblood, 6-1, 7-5; Lily Gust (CRK) def. Haley Stecklien, 4-6, 7-6, 13-15; Reya Sands (CRK) def. Megan Grimm, 5-7, 7-5, 10-12.

Doubles -

Renner/Stecklien (CRP) def. Gust/Sands, 6-2, 6-3.

Boys' tennis

AT AMES

Class 2A substate final

No. 3 Linn-Mar 5, Ottumwa 0

Class 2A state quarterfinal

No. 3 Linn-Mar 5, Ames 1

Singles -

Timothy Ellis (A) def. Ben Hediger, 6-1, 6-3; Luke VanDonslear (LM) def. Joshua Zhao, 6-0, 6-1; Lucas Huffman (LM) def. Tyler Wierson, 6-1, 6-0; Zach Glanz (LM) def. Andy Kim, 6-1, 6-0; Jack Gertsen (LM) def. John Kim, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1; Jackson Eells (LM) def. Ryan Jeong, 6-4, 6-1.

AT WATERLOO

Class 1A substate final

Cedar Rapids Xavier 5, Waterloo Columbus 0

Singles -

Jon Lansing def. Dan Buchanan, 6-2, 6-1; Alex Hinrichs def. Cole Weber, 6-2, 6-4; Charlie Esker def. Corey Mack, 6-3, 6-3; Calvin Ford def. Eli Olmstead, 6-3, 6-3; Ryan Jasper def. Dylan Mack, 6-1, 6-0.

Class 1A state quarterfinal

Cedar Rapids Xavier 5, Dubuque Wahlert 4

Singles -

Lansing (CRX) def. Riley Collins, 6-2, 6-1; Jack Lucy (DW) def. Hinrichs, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; Esker (CRX) def. Hunter McDonald, 6-3, 6-1; Louis Ungs (DW) def. Blake Magill, 6-0, 5-7, 6-0; Carson Kunkel (DW) def. Ford, 6-2, 7-5; Jasper (CRX) def. Jimmy Chapman, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles -

Esker/Lansing (CRX) def. Collins/Ungs, 7-5, 6-4; Hinrich/Jasper (CRX) def. Lucy/Alex Hingtgen, 7-6, 6-1; McDonald/Carson Kunkel (DW) def. Johnson/Magill, 6-4, 6-1.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com