City High’s Small wins it all

IOWA CITY – It wasn't how she imagined it would play out, but Eve Small will gladly take it.

The Iowa City High senior – twice the runner-up at the Class 2A girls' tennis state singles tournament – closed an incredible prep career with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Pleasant Valley freshman Lily Feldman and claimed that elusive state championship Friday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.

'It basically sums up my goal since I started playing tennis,” said Small, who also placed third as a freshman. 'Get to state. Win it. Win it all. Going into my freshman year that was my goal, and today it's become reality.”

The singles final was not the matchup that many anticipated when the day began. Defending champion Chloe Jefferies of West Des Moines Valley – a winner in three sets over Small in last year's championship – defaulted due to illness before the semifinal round.

'I did want a chance to avenge that,” said Small, who lost five months of preparation before the 2014 final while recovering from foot surgery. 'Only because it was probably the last time that we will ever play against each other. …I felt like I was going to be the better player today.”

Jefferies' default meant Feldman had the luxury of extra rest while Small battled Bettendorf sophomore Emilia Porubcin in the semifinal. Small rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set and advanced to the title match, 6-4, 6-4.

'I told myself that I had to stop worrying about the match itself,” Small said. 'And start worrying about winning the individual points. Stop stressing myself out and stop beating myself.”

Small (23-0) is City High's first singles state champion since Michele Conlon won the second of her two state championships in 1983. She's moving on to Northern Iowa, where she relishes the idea of starting from the bottom.

'I'm going to be such a little fish in a big pond,” Small said. 'I'm so excited to have to play for my spot and show that I'm improving and show that I'm dedicated.”

In the doubles semifinal, Cedar Rapids Washington's Lilly Hartman and Hannah Sherman lost to Abby Reis and Brynn Reichardt of Urbandale, 7-5, 6-0. The Warrior doubles team rebounded in the third-place match, 7-5, 6-2 against Pleasant Valley's Katie Melbourne and Allison Miller.

Des Moines Roosevelt's Mary Hill and Eren Sagun defeated Reis and Reichardt, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, for the doubles state title.

In the 1A state tournament in Ankeny, Cedar Rapids Xavier senior Allison Jasper finished third for the second year in a row, while doubles teammates Jeanne and Claire Blouchard won their third-place match over top-seed Olivia Fain and Lauren McManus of Waterloo Columbus.

Washington and Xavier will both compete in the team state championships, which conclude today for both classes.

CLASS 2A STATE TOURNAMENT

At Iowa City

(Hawkeye Tennis Complex)

SINGLES

Championship Bracket

Semifinals

Lily Feldman (Pleasant Valley) def. Chloe Jefferies (WDM Valley), 1-0 ,1-0; Eve Small (Iowa City High) def. Emilia Porubcin (Bettendorf), 6-4, 6-4

First Place

Small (ICH) def. Feldman (PV), 6-1, 6-0

Consolation Bracket

(Area only)

Semifinal

Alex Kozlowski (DM Roosevelt) def. Vale Caro (C.R. Prairie), 7-5, 7-5

Seventh Place

Judith Fan (Ames) def. Caro (CRP), 6-4 6-1

DOUBLES

Semifinals

Mary Hill/Eren Sagun (DM Roosevelt) def. Katie Melbourne/Allison Miller (Pleasant Valley), 6-2 6-3; Abby Reis/Brynn Reichardt (Urbandale) def. Lilly Hartman/Hannah Sherman (C.R. Washington), 7-5 6-0

First Place

Hill/Sagun (DMR) def. Reis/Reichardt (Urbandale), 3-6 7-5 6-4

Third Place

Hartman/Sherman (CRW) def. Melbourne/Miller (Pleasant Valley), 7-5 6-2

Consolation Bracket

(Area only)

Semifinals

Eisha Nathwani/Sheyna Nathwani (Johnston) def. Megan Jans/Abby Jans (Iowa City West), 3-6, 6-4, 1-0

Seventh Place

Megan Jans/Abby Jans (Iowa City West) def. Samantha Brisch/Riley Hubbart (Clinton), 6-4, 6-4

CLASS 1A STATE TOURNAMENT

At Ankeny

(Prairie Ridge Sports Complex)

SINGLES

Championship Bracket

Semifinals

Mara Pirscoveanu (Denison-Schleswig) def. Lily Hamilton (Grinnell), 6-0, 6-1; Kate Walker (Red Oak) def. Allison Jasper (C.R. Xavier), 6-2, 6-3

First Place

Pirscoveanu (DS) def. Walker (RO), 6-3, 6-1

Third Place

Jasper (CRX) def. Hamilton (G), 7-5, 5-7, 1-0

Consolation Bracket

(Area only)

Semifinals

Hannah Fox (Waverly-Shell Rock) def. Jana King (Glenwood), 6-4, 6-4

Fifth Place

Emily Ahlers (Lemars) def. Fox (WSR), 6-2, 6-1

DOUBLES

Semifinals

Chelsea Poesch/Kayla Reusche (Waverly-Shell Rock) def. Olivia Fain/Lauren McManus (Waterloo Columbus) 6-4 6-3; Micayla Taylor/Grace Blomstedt (Red Oak) def. Claire Bouchard/Jeanne Bouchard (C.R. Xavier), 6-2 6-4

First Place

Poesch/Reusche (Waverly-Shell Rock) def. Taylor/Blomstedt (Red Oak), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Third Place

Claire Bouchard/Jeanne Bouchard (CRX) def. Fain/McManus (WC), 1-6, 6-4, 1-0

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com