Girls’ tennis teams begin road to state today

In this season of change for high school girls’ tennis, some things remain the same.

With the move to the fall, the postseason already is set to start with the singles and doubles regional tournaments on Wednesday. After a whirlwind six-week regular season, one thing is clear — players from Cedar Rapids Xavier will again be a force in the postseason.

The Saints are led by two-time defending Class 1A singles champion Gabi Fleming. The junior, who is looking to become just the eighth three-time singles champion in state history, has once again been flawless this fall. She is 14-0 in matches, dropping just one set. She has been ranked No. 1 all season and will be the No. 1 seed in the Grinnell regional, where the Saints have been assigned.

Regional play is set to start around the state at 9 a.m. All regional champions and runner-up advance to the state tournament, set for Oct. 1-2. Class 1A teams will play at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City. The Class 2A meet will be at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.

Xavier Coach Matt Foxhoven said senior Lulu Rozeboom will join Fleming in the singles draw. Juniors Gamma Younadam and Tia Halabi will make up one doubles team with senior Gemma Zeckser and sophomore Kelsey Weiss composing the other duo.

In the spring, the Saints swept through regional play taking the top two spots in both singles and doubles. Younadam was unable to play at state, due to complications after undergoing an appendectomy

Younadam and Halabi will be looking to match the performance of 2025 graduates Ruby Smith and Izzy Tobin, who won the state title. Not only were they state champions, they both were solid role models for the other players.

"We had two very strong leaders in Ruby and Izzy last year," Foxhoven said. "I just told the girls this year that you can lead in multiple ways. It doesn’t always need to be with what you say but can be in how you act and play and practice.

"It was strange for everyone playing before school started. I feel like we have really settled into a routine once school was back in session."

As for possible opponents in Wednesday regional, Foxhoven said there will be some strong competition for his players.

"Grinnell always has good players and athletes and I know Mount Vernon has a good freshman (Stella Dvorak) playing No. 1 singles this year," he said. "We will approach it the same way we have the last few years, show up and play our type of tennis. We want to be aggressive when there are openings but be the more consistent player in each match."

Decorah, which is playing host to a regional, could also send multiple players to state. Coach Amanda Huniker's Vikings have been ranked No. 2 behind Xavier all season. Huniker's daughters, senior Olivia and sophomore Grace, finished third at state in doubles last year. Senior Kaitlyn Bjork has had a solid season as well.

In Class 2A, Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Lily Holland will be looking to make state for a fourth consecutive season. She finished fifth as a freshman, second as a sophomore and was fourth last year. She will be playing in a regional at West Des Moines Valley. She is ranked fifth in the latest state singles rankings and is the only Top 10 player in the regional.

Linn-Mar and Iowa City West also will host regionals. Neither the Lions nor Trojans have any players ranked in the top 10. Linn-Mar's Reagan Boies qualified for the state singles meet in the spring as a freshman. West has no returning state qualifiers, but has had a strong season as a team, currently ranked No. 5 in Class 2A.

Here are the regional assignments for Wednesday's meets.

CLASS 2A

At Iowa City West: Burlington, Clinton, Iowa City West, Muscatine, Ottumwa, Pleasant Valley

At Linn-Mar: CR Washington, CR Prairie, Davenport Central, Davenport North, Iowa City Liberty

At Marshalltown: DM Roosevelt, Dubuque Senior, IC High, Marshalltown, Urbandale, Waukee

At North Scott: Bettendorf, CR Kennedy, Davenport West, Dubuque, Hempstead, North Scott, Waterloo West

At WDM Valley: CR Jefferson, CB Lincoln, DM Lincoln, Indianola, SC West, WDM Valley

At Cedar Falls: Ames, Ankeny Centennial, Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, Mason City

At Johnston: CB Jefferson, Des Moines East, Johnston, Sioux City North, Southeast Polk, WDM Dowling

At Waukee Northwest: Ankeny, CB Lewis Central, Dallas Center-Grimes, Norwalk, SC East, Waukee Northwest

CLASS 1A

At Grinnell: CR Xavier, DM Hoover, Grinnell, Grundy Center, Hampton-Dumont-CAL, Iowa Falls-Alden, Marion, Mount Vernon, South Tama

At Decorah: Camanche, Charles City, Clear Lake, Decorah, Dubuque Wahlert, Maquoketa, Oelwein, Osage, Western Dubuque

At Waterloo Columbus: Aplington-Parkersburg, Central DeWitt, Dike-New Hartford, FD St. Edmond, Independence, Pella Christian, Union, Waterloo Columbus, Waverly-Shell Rock

At Atlantic: Atlantic, Audubon, Clarinda, CB St. Albert, Glenwood, Harlan, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Southwest Valley

At Boone; Ballard, Boone, Carroll Kuemper, Nevada, North Polk, Saydel, SC Heelan, Webster City

At Pella: Chariton, Clarke Community, Creston, Davenport Assumption Davis County, Newton, Oskaloosa, Pella

At: Fairfield: Albia, Burlington Notre Dame, Centerville, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Knoxville, Mount Pleasant

At Spencer: Cherokee Washington, Denison-Schleswig, Estherville Lincoln Central, LeMars, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Spencer, Spirit Lake-Okoboji, Storm Lake