Decorah doubles marathon highlights Class 1A girls’ tennis state championships at U of I

IOWA CITY — Girls' tennis officials with decades of experience weren't sure they'd seen anything like it.

In one of the longest state-tournament matches in recent memory, the Decorah doubles team of senior Anna Spencer and junior Carina Yee lost in the first round of the Class 1A state championships Thursday at Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.

It took three hours and 40 minutes to play the three-set test of will, which began and ended with 7-6 tiebreakers.

'I was surprised how much energy both sides kept throughout the whole time,' Spencer said of the 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 loss to Marilyn Cepeda and Nichole Gilbert of Shenandoah. 'Sometimes games like that can really drain you and get long and they're not fun anymore, but we kept our heads level and the other girls were very level-headed as well. It was just like a very fun (match) and, 'this is what a tennis match should look like.' It was nice because nobody was dominating energy-wise.'

There was clearly plenty of energy to spare as the Decorah duo rebounded with two victories in the consolation bracket over teams from West Burlington-Notre Dame and Spirit Lake/Okoboji.

'For us, we went out and said, 'We have nothing to lose,'' Yee said. 'Making it here was our big goal, so now we just want to have fun.'

Nearly 10 hours after the tournament began, Spencer and Yee earned the right to compete for fifth place when consolation play resumes Friday at 10 a.m.

Surging through the consolation bracket is nothing new to Spencer as she rebounded from an early loss and placed seventh last season in doubles.

'Really playing like you do have nothing to lose,' Spencer said. 'Just coming right into it with the attitude of, 'I'm here for a reason and I'm going to lay out those reasons on the court.''

Cedar Rapids Xavier freshman Sarah Abu-Nameh also responded to a first-round loss with a pair of consolation victories. After dropping a 6-0, 6-4 decision to Kally Peterson of Decorah, Abu-Nameh collected wins over Ballard's Kate Rietz and Bry Ronca, the second in three sets.

'It took a while,' Abu-Nameh said. 'I was a bit nervous in the first one. … I guess I just needed to mentally get ready. I don't think I was really there the first match.'

Peterson and Wynne Vandersall of Mount Vernon were both eliminated in the singles consolation bracket.

The defending champions in both singles (Olivia Fain) and doubles (Lauren McManus and Taylor Hogan) — all from state juggernaut Waterloo Columbus — made quick work of their respective opponents and advanced to the semifinals.

Girls' tennis

State championships

CLASS 1A

At Iowa City

(University of Iowa Tennis Center)

FIRST ROUND

Singles —

Olivia Fain (Columbus Catholic) def. Wynne Vandersall (Mt. Vernon) 6-0, 6-0; Bry Ronce (Ballard) def. Ellie Osterloh (Glenwood) 6-2, 6-4; Brooke Jorgensen (Pella) def. Stephanie Bush (Dav. Assumption) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1; Jacqueline Ingram (Denison-Schleswig) def. Gretchen Jones (Clear Lake) 6-0, 6-3; Lily Roozeboom (Pella) def. Sarah Wood (Shenandoah) 7-5, 6-2; Kally Peterson (Decorah) def. Sarah Abu-Nameh (C.R. Xavier) 6-0, 6-4; Audrey Hinz (Dubuque Wahlert) def. Elizabeth Ihrke (LeMars) 6-0, 6-3; Anatta Charoenkul (Fairfield) def. Kate Rietz (Ballard) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles —

Lauren McManus/Taylor Hogan (Columbus Catholic) def. Lydia Becker/Claire Hackenmiller (Burlington) 6-1, 6-1; Sydnee Redman/Sydney Sickels (Clarke) def. Megan Pressgrove/Bethany Baumgartner 6-3, 6-3; Marilyn Cepeda/Nichole Gilbert (Shenandoah) def. Anna Spencer/Carina Yee (Decorah) 7-6, 4-6, 7-6; Meghann Long/Anna Herrig (Dubuque Wahlert) def. Kendall Evans/Josie Condon (Estherville) 6-4, 6-1; Brianne Eighme/Karlee Sinnott (Columbus Catholic) def. Erin McGivern/Sydney Johnson (Dav. Assumption) 6-7, 6-0, 6-1; Bronwyn Metcalf/Cecily Johnson (Pella) def. Brooklyn Taylor/Erin Stanley (Glenwood) 6-2, 6-4; Alison Bueltel/Ashley Thorn (Spirit Lake/Okoboji) def. Megan Linskens/Deseree Stubbe (Clarke) 6-3, 6-2; Chelsea Poesch/Madi Overmann (Waverly) def. Carolyn Conlon/Anna Freiburger (Dub. Wahlert) 6-4, 6-3

QUARTERFINALS

Singles —

Fain (Columbus Catholic) def. Ronca (Ballard) 6-0, 6-1; Jorgensen (Pella) def. Ingram (Denison-Schleswig) 6-4, 6-3; Roozeboom (Pella) def. Peterson (Decorah) 6-2, 6-0; Charoenkul (Fairfield) def. Hinz (Dubuque Wahlert) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles —

McManus/Hogan (Columbus Catholic) def. Redman/Sickels (Clarke) 6-4, 6-3; Cepeda/Gilbert (Shenandoah) def. Long/Herrig (Dubuque Wahlert) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4; Eighme/Sinnott (Columbus Catholic) def. Metcalf/Johnson (Pella) 6-2, 6-1; Poesch/Overmann (Waverly) def. Bueltel/Thorn (Spirit Lake/Okoboji) 6-1, 6-0

CLASS 2A

At Ankeny

(Ankeny Tennis Complex)

FIRST ROUND

Singles —

Davi Patterson (Boone) def. Roshni Penmatcha (Pleasant Valley) 6-3, 6-0; Kaily Speer (I.C. West) def. Sofia Sackett (Dowling Catholic) 6-1, 6-2; Emilia Porubcin (Bettendorf) def. Lauren Couves (Ames) 6-1, 6-0; Cari Naanep (Johnston) def. Krisha Keeran (Cedar Falls) 6-1, 6-4; Lily Feldman (Pleasant Valley) def. Beth Murman (Fort Dodge) 6-1, 6-1; Bihotza James-Lejarcegui (I.C. High) def. Jamie Zhang (Ames) 6-2, 6-1; Ellie Anderson (Linn-Mar) def. Libby Messman (Waukee) 6-0, 6-1; Vale Caro (C.R. Prairie) def. Sydney Rottinghaus (Mason City) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles —

Abby Reis/Jackie Kaiser (Urbandale) def. Whittney Gutheris/Piper Boysen (Linn-Mar) 6-1, 6-2; Alyssa Lewton/Maddie Volk (Ankeny Centennial) def. Erin Connolly/Laura Ludescher (Dubuque Hempstead) 6-4, 6-3; Hannah Humes/Emily Nutt (Pleasant Valley) def. Emma Heiser/Julia Heil (Johnston) 6-1, 7-5; Emma Koch/Abby Jans (I.C. West) def. Kaylyn Chleborad/Rockie Greenslade (Dowling Catholic) 6-2, 6-1; Hannah Sherman/Kelly King (C.R. Washington) def. Michelle Nitschke/Abby Smith (Ankeny Centennial) 6-0, 6-0; Shivani Kumaresan/Eren Sagun (DM Roosevelt) def. Riley Hubbart/Kiersten Housenga (Clinton) 6-3, 6-1; Mylea Cole/Brooke Dannenfeldt (Urbandale) def. Anya Postnikov/Madison Renner (C.R. Prairie) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; Anna Rose Corell/Anna Wanek (Dowling Catholic) def. Lucy Wagner/Amelia Prybil (I.C. High) 6-0, 6-1

QUARTERFINALS

Singles —

Patterson (Boone) def. Speer (I.C. West) 6-4, 6-1; Poubcin (Bettendorf) def. Naanep (Johnston) 6-2, 6-3; Feldman (Pleasant Valley) def. James-Lejarcegui (I.C. High) 6-1, 2-6, 6-0; Caro (C.R. Prairie) def. Anderson (Linn-Mar) 7-5, 6-3

Doubles —

Reis/Kaiser (Urbandale) def. Lewton/Volk (Ankeny Centennial) 6-1, 6-4; Koch/Jans (I.C. West) def. Humes/Nutt (Pleasant Valley) 6-1, 6-1; Sherman/King (C.R. Washington) def. Kumaresan/Sagun (DM Roosevelt) 7-6, 4-6, 6-1; Corell/Wanek (Dowling Catholic) def. Cole/Dannenfeldt (Urbandale) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2

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