Iowa high school girls’ state tennis Day 1: Top seeds Gabi Fleming and Katelynn Kock roll to semifinals

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Katelynn Kock and Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Gabi Fleming have been the state’s top-ranked singles players all season.

Both players moved into the girls’ state tennis semifinals on Friday in dominant fashion.

In the 1A tournament at Iowa City, Fleming made quick work of two foes, posting 6-0, 6-0 wins over Spencer’s Lauren Ellis and Red Oak’s Merced Ramirez to move two steps away from a state title in her freshman year.

Kock is a senior in search of her first singles title. In 2A play at Johnston, she blanked Waterloo West’s Janet Toe, 6-0, 6-0 and followed that up with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Iowa City West’s Maggie Shin in the quarterfinals.

Fleming will meet Mount Pleasant’s Jana Isanta Vila in the semifinals. Isanta Vila had a pair of straight-set wins to advance.

Fleming has been a model of consistency from the start this season.

“Gabbie had some nerves which was understandable being a freshman in her first state tournament,” Xavier Coach Matt Foxhoven said. “She did a really good job of getting those under control and just playing her tennis. When she hits the ball like she can, she is going to give people some problems and she did that today.”

The Saints’ top doubles team of Avery Link and Ruby Smith will also be in the semifinals. The second-seeded duo opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Fairfield Maharishi’s Ria Altynska-Ross and Aparajita Kaira and followed that up by downing Pella’s Bryn Higginbotham and Claire Smock, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Foxhoven said it was a strong start and an equally strong finish that pushed Smith and Link into the semifinals.

“They started out pretty aggressive, playing their doubles,” Foxhoven said. “The second set got to them a little bit mentally, waiting for the other team to lose instead of going to win. In the third set, they got aggressive again and they were the ones controlling the point.”

They will meet unseeded Brooke Bloom and Isabelle Pierce of DeWitt Central in the semifinals.

For Kock, it was a very short day on the court in Johnston.

“She got off to a little bit of a slow start,” said Washington Coach Nina Marquardt, “but once she got going, she was definitely locked in the rest of the day.”

Kock, who will play collegiately next year for Nebraska-Omaha, took her short day in stride.

“I just needed to go out there and hit solid strokes,” she said. “They were good players I was playing against today and they had a chance to get a win but thankfully, I was playing pretty solid. Today, I just went out there and played my game.”

The Warrior senior is no stranger to championship Saturday. She was in the doubles final the past two years with Kathryn Zylstra, winning in 2022 and finishing second last May. She will face unseeded Lauren Masengarb of Pleasant Valley, who needed three sets to down Clinton’s Sescie Hahn.

“I really just want to focus on myself and really just cherish this time,” Kock said. “It's going to be a little bit different without having a partner by my side but I just need to go in focused and ready to play my game. If I can do that, I think I can come away with the trophy.”

The 2A singles seeding was changed on Thursday when West Des Moines Valley’s Lexi Moen withdrew due to illness, elevating Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore Lily Holland to the No. 2 spot. Cedar Rapids Washington’s Samantha Becker also withdrew due to injury, allowing Linn-Mar’s Anna Schlesinger to be added to the field.

Holland won a pair of matches, including a 6-3, 6-0 win over Iowa City Liberty’s Ella Gilbert in the quarterfinals. She will meet Cedar Falls’ Mackenzie Sagers, the No. 3 seed in the other semifinal.

Gilbert and West’s Shin both went on to post consolation wins and will be in action on Saturday. Marion’s Michaela Goad and Natalee Hartmann lost in the opening round, but posted two wins in the consolation round and will also play on Saturday.

Play in both classes begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with consolation matches. Semifinals are set for 10 a.m. with the finals to follow.