Iowa City West’s Emma Koch overcomes opponent, heavy heart for girls’ tennis regional singles title

OTTUMWA – Emma Koch clutched the tennis racquet to her heavy heart, then faced the only opponent to deliver her a defeat this season.

Two weeks ago, Linn-Mar's Ellie Anderson soundly defeated the Iowa City West freshman in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual. Thursday at the Dan Staggs Tennis Courts in Ottumwa, Koch turned the tables and continued her strong varsity tennis debut with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Anderson and won a Class 2A girls' regional singles title.

'I was really, really impatient the first time I played her,” Koch said. 'I went into this match knowing I had to be a lot more patient, can't go for too much.”

Following the victory, Koch's thoughts turned to Peri Sagun, a Des Moines-area eighth-grader whom she befriended through many years of competition in the United States Tennis Association. Sagun died in a tragic backyard accident, and Koch will attend her funeral Friday.

'My coach just told me to go out and play for her,” Koch said. 'It kind of puts things in perspective. Some people put so much pressure on tennis, but after something like that, you've just got to go out and have fun and not take anything for granted.”

Both Koch and Anderson qualified for the Class 2A girls' tennis state tournament, which begins June 2 at Veterans Memorial Tennis Center. With the regional crown, Koch (11-1) is eligible to be seeded for state, which would not have been possible without an effective strategy to combat Anderson's unique game of slices and lobs.

'Sometimes you just have to kind of play a guessing game,” said Koch, a two-sport star who will re-join the Women of Troy girls' basketball team this winter. 'Have to guess whether or not she is going to slice it and start running up so that you're not caught off guard, otherwise you're just going to be stuck back at the baseline.”

In doubles play, Iowa City High qualified both of its duos for the state tournament as Susanna Gianola and Bihotza James outlasted teammates Innes Hicsasmaz and Lucy Wagner, 6-3, 6-4, and won the regional doubles championship.

'It was definitely much more challenging because we're really close,” Gianola said with a laugh. 'When I was playing, I just knew that whatever happened, no friendships would be broken.”

This is the second-straight year Gianola and James have qualified together as a doubles tandem, and third overall for Gianola and Hicsasmaz.

'We know each other's mistakes and good shots and what we're capable of,” James said. 'I think we know how to talk each other up the whole way, depending on each shot.”

CLASS 2A GIRLS' TENNIS REGIONAL

At Ottumwa

Semifinals

Singles -

Ellie Anderson (Linn-Mar) def. Amelia Prybil (Iowa City High), 6-0, 6-1; Emma Koch (Iowa City West) def. Megan Burr (Linn-Mar), 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles -

Susanna Gianola/Bihotza James (Iowa City High) def. Abby Jans/Kaily Speer (Iowa City West), 6-4, 6-0; Innes Hicsasmaz/Lucy Wagner (Iowa City High) def. Nicole Glanz/Jamie Wantock (Linn-Mar), 6-1, 6-2.

Championship

Singles -

Emma Koch (Iowa City West) def. Ellie Anderson (Linn-Mar), 6-3, 6-3

Doubles -

Susanna Gianola/Bihotza James (Iowa City High) def. Innes Hicsasmaz/Lucy Wagner (Iowa City High), 6-3, 6-4.

At Bettendorf

Championship

Singles -

Lily Feldman (Pleasant Valley) def. Hannah Humes (PV), 6-0, 6-2

Doubles -

Kelly King/Hannah Sherman (CRW) def. Emily Nutt/Roshni Penmatcha (PV), 6-1, 6-2.

At Waterloo

Championship

Singles -

Joyce Sun (Dubuque Hempstead) def. Karleigh Schilling (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 6-2, 6-1

Doubles -

Magui Caro / Vale Caro (Cedar Rapids Prairie) def. Maddie Renner / Anna Postnikov (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 6-4, 6-0

CLASS 1A GIRLS' TENNIS TEAM REGIONAL

At Waverly-Shell Rock

Championship

Singles

Chelsea Poesch (Waverly-Shell Rock) over Kally Peterson (Decorah), 6-4, 6-1

Doubles

Anna Spencer / Annika Krieg (Decorah) over Katelyn Yee & Kelsey Kruse (Decorah), 6-4, 7-6

At Camanche

Championship

Doubles

Elizabeth Busch / Erin McGivern (Assumption) over Josia Vandersall / Wynne Vandersall (Mount Vernon)

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com