Second-ranked Iowa City West serves defeat to hampered No. 1 Cedar Rapids Washington

IOWA CITY – The top two teams in boys' tennis squared off Friday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center, but No. 1 was without its No. 1.

Top-ranked C.R. Washington competed without top singles player Jackson Hoyt (left ankle), and No. 2 Iowa City West took full advantage with a 7-2 victory in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual.

'We thought there would be some tough matchups at certain spots, and there were,' West Coach Mitch Gross said. 'They're (Washington) very good. They are a very good young team.'

Hoyt's absence meant the Warriors' lineup all moved up a spot in the order. Junior Parker Muller had the unenviable task of tangling with Jiung Jung and fell to the defending Class 2A singles state champion, 6-2, 6-1.

Jung's win extended the West (10-0, 9-0 MVC) lead to 3-0 after junior Cole Schneider opened the scoring with a comfortable, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Will Rizer. Freshman Sam Shin was impressive in the fifth slot and dropped just one game against Ethan Wickham.

'It's a big confidence boost,' Schneider said. 'We really found out where we are today by playing Wash.'

Two swing matches were at four and six singles. Saddled with two busted racquets and a 6-3 second-set loss to Washington's Rami Scheetz, West freshman Jack Wenzel borrowed a teammate's racquet and dominated the third-set tiebreak, 10-1.

'He (Gross) just always says, 'Stay focused,'' Wenzel said. ''Focus on the point you're on. Not the one before, not the one after.''

At the bottom of the lineup, senior Yuxuan Zheng clinched the dual for the Trojans before doubles play with a rally from a 4-0 second-set deficit to hold off Dane Van Antwerp, 7-5, 7-5.

'The close ones at singles that we gutted out, I thought, showed a lot of character,' Gross said.

Schneider and Wenzel teamed up in doubles and claimed a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Muller and Rizer.

Freshman Ty Sherman was the lone double-winner for Washington (8-1, 8-1 MVC), which hopes to have Hoyt back in the lineup Tuesday against Waterloo West.

AT HAWKEYE TENNIS AND RECREATION CENTER

I.C. West 7, C.R. Washington 2

Singles –

Jiung Jung (ICW) def. Parker Muller, 6-2, 6-1; Cole Schneider (ICW) def. Will Rizer, 6-2, 6-2; Ty Sherman (CRW) def. Ryan Smith, 6-4, 6-4; Jack Wenzel (ICW) def. Rami Scheetz, 6-3, 3-6, 10-1; Sam Shin (ICW) def. Ethan Wickham, 6-0, 6-1; Yuxuan Zheng (ICW) def. Dane Van Antwerp, 7-5, 7-5.

Doubles –

Schneider/Wenzel (ICW) def. Muller/Rizer, 6-2, 6-0; Scheetz/Sherman (CRW) def. Jung/Brad DiLeo, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6; Shin/Smith (ICW) def. Van Antwerp/Wickham, 6-2, 6-3.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com