When Bruce Croy became the Linn-Mar girls’ tennis coach three years ago, he had a clear goal. He wanted to close the gap between the girls’ team and the school’s successful boys’ program, which has been among the best in Iowa for two decades.
“My first year, people told me no one wanted to coach a 4-10 team,” Croy said. “But my goal was to build this program into something like the boys’ team. It wasn’t going to happen overnight. It’s a process.”
That process is now showing results.
On Monday, at the Class 2A regional singles and doubles tournament at Oak Ridge Middle School, five of Linn-Mar’s six varsity players earned spots in the state tournament, which will be held May 30-31 at the Hawkeye Recreation and Tennis Complex in Iowa City.
Linn-Mar dominated in doubles, sweeping the top two spots. Seniors Maddie Harris and Emily Brandt won the final, defeating teammates Anna Schlesinger and Mallory Erickson 6-3, 6-2. Both teams advanced to state.
“It’s a great feeling,” Harris said. “Playing against our teammates was fun and there was no pressure because we were all going to state.”
Brandt and Harris were seeded No. 2, while Schlesinger and Erickson were seeded No. 4. To reach the final, Schlesinger and Erickson pulled off a big upset, beating the No. 1 seeded duo of Ellie Holdorf and Natalie Schertz from Davenport West, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.
“They did a great job,” Brandt said. “They had to beat the top seed to make it to state, and they played really well.”
Croy always believed doubles would be a strong point for his team.
“We knew from the start that we wanted to focus on doubles,” Croy said. “The girls worked hard all season, and it was great to see it pay off.”
The Lions’ fifth state qualifier came from singles. Freshman Reagan Boies, unseeded, staged an impressive comeback to defeat No. 2 seed Vivian Kahler of Iowa City Liberty. Boies saved multiple match points and won a thrilling semifinal match, 1-6, 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (9-7), earning her spot at state. She later defaulted the final due to injury.
“We’re lucky to have Reagan at the top of our lineup,” Croy said. “She’s really helped solidify our top positions.”
Other Class 2A Results
At Cedar Rapids, Jefferson’s Lily Holland dominated her regional bracket. The top seed didn’t drop a single game in three matches, beating Dubuque Hempstead’s Noor Kaasas 6-0, 6-0 in the final. Iowa City West’s Sasha Postnikov and Marie Stier won the doubles title, cruising past Hempstead’s Claire Kelley and Mya Hoden 6-1, 6-1.
Class 1A Highlights
In Class 1A at Camanche, Cedar Rapids Xavier advanced its entire team to state. Defending state singles champion Gabi Fleming won her title match 6-0, 6-0 over teammate Gemma Younadam. Remarkably, Younadam returned to the court just two weeks after having an appendectomy.
Xavier’s No. 1 doubles team of Ruby Smith and Izzy Tobin also won the regional crown, defeating teammates Tia Halabi and Lulu Rozeboom 6-0, 7-5 in the final.
At Decorah, sisters Olivia and Grace Huniker claimed the doubles title. They defeated Peyton Kloster and Adria Neymeyer of Aplington-Parkersburg 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a tough final match.
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