Top-heavy boys’ tennis districts spark debate

IOWA CITY – Only three boys' tennis teams have garnered a first-place vote in each of the six weekly Class 2A Iowa Tennis Coaches polls this season.

No. 2 Cedar Rapids Washington and third-ranked Pleasant Valley are two of them, but both face the prospect of being shut out of the team state tournament in Ankeny since they were assigned to the same district.

'You're already determining before postseason play starts that one of the top three teams have absolutely zero chance of going to Ankeny,' Pleasant Valley Coach Randy Brockhage said.

The district meet is May 12. In Class 2A, the Iowa High School Athletic Association divides 48 participating boys' tennis schools into eight six-team districts. Washington or Pleasant Valley could also lack representation in the individual state tournament since only the district champion and runner-up in both singles and doubles qualify, and only four receive seeds.

'It's the idea that the state would want the best individual state tournament that they could get and the best four teams in the team state tournament,' Iowa City High Coach Chip Hardesty said. 'What bothers lots of coaches, it sort of feels like it doesn't matter. 'We'll do whatever we do.' Feels lackadaisical.'

Hardesty and the ninth-ranked Little Hawks are in a similar quandary – not just with being grouped in the Iowa City district with top-ranked Iowa City West and seventh-ranked Bettendorf – but two of the top singles players in the state appear destined to collide in the Iowa City district final.

Defending state champion Jiung Jung of West and City High junior Joe Hoff battled to a third-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7, in their match April 26. Should Hoff make up that narrow ground in a rematch, there would be an unseeded defending state champion.

Competitive balance does not appear be a determinant in assignments as a whopping seven ranked teams are bottled into three districts. The remaining five districts host three ranked teams combined.

The inclusion of Bettendorf in Iowa City and Washington at Pleasant Valley would dispel the theory that geography is an overriding factor.

Such measures for improvement that many coaches advocate include delaying the release of district assignments (2016 assignments were released the day after the first coaches poll), expanding the Ankeny state tournament to eight teams, and tasking those with a deep knowledge of the tennis landscape to equally disperse strong players and teams.

'It would be reasonable to conclude that the coaches that vote in the coaches poll could produce reasonably-balanced district assignments that would produce a pretty balanced state tournament and a pretty balanced state team tournament,' Hardesty said.

WEST FRESHMAN KOCH A FORCE IN MVC

Emma Koch admitted the prospect of playing No. 1 singles as a freshman was a pretty daunting one.

'I was a little rusty coming into the season,' the Iowa City West girls' tennis player said after defeating Vale Caro of undefeated Cedar Rapids Prairie, 10-6, Tuesday at the Prairie tennis courts. 'I got back into it a lot faster, but I definitely wouldn't have pegged myself doing as well as I have so far.'

Koch has been terrific atop the lineup for the Women of Troy (9-3, 8-3 Mississippi Valley Conference). At nearly 5-foot-11, Koch is able to generate powerful serves and has the leaping ability to counteract lob attempts. Her athleticism and movement from sideline to sideline demonstrate impressive skill against older foes.

'She's the whole package,' West Coach Amie Villarini said. 'Athletic, tall, powerful, solid all-around game, mentally tough.'

Wednesday's victory over Caro was Koch's third in eight days against two-time All-MVC first-teamers (including Innes Hicsasmaz of Iowa City High and Washington's Hannah Sherman).

Thursday, she faces once-beaten Ellie Anderson of Linn-Mar (12-1, 10-0). Like Anderson (volleyball), Koch is a two-sport standout who utilized private tennis lessons and competitive offseason matches to shake off the rust after a productive season of varsity basketball (7.1 points, 5.1 rebounds per game).

'I started off just doing a lot of ball machine,' Koch said. 'Just so I could get my timing down and get my footwork going again. I think the matches got me back into it the fastest.'

WAMAC CHAMPIONS CROWNED

Conference champions were crowned in the Wamac this week in Maquoketa. Western Dubuque edged Marion by two points for its third-consecutive boys' crown as Alex Meyer, Beau Kramer and Tanner Donahue won singles titles.

Mount Vernon earned the girls' team title after Wynne Vandersall, Brittany Darrow and Katie Wycoff took honors in singles and the Mustangs claimed two of three doubles matches.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com