Glenwood fourth at state tennis
DES MOINES - The Glenwood boys tennis team’s historic undefeated season came to an end in the Class 1A state tournament semifinals at the Waveland Tennis Complex in Des Moines last Tuesday.
The Rams, who entered with a perfect 13-0 dual record, dropped their semifinal match to LeMars 5-0 and then fell 5-0 to Grinnell in the consolation round to finish fourth.
Glenwood coach Kevin Tucker said his team was disappointed in the finish, but not in the heights they reached this season.
“The boys played tough the entire day,” Tucker said. “They ran into some tough teams but never gave up. I am proud of their historic season but the boys are not satisfied. They will be back in the future, I have no doubt.”
Wahlert Dubuque, a 5-0 winner over Grinnell in the semifinals, defeated LeMars 5-1 in the finals to win the state team tennis title.
In it’s semifinal match, the Bulldogs’ Dylan Harms started things off with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over the Rams’ Sam Lauritsen that gave LeMars all the momentum. The Rams’ Alex Chekal, Aaron Bertini, Adam Konfrst and Sean Harper all dropped their matches. Both Bertini and Konfrst pushed their matches to the brink before close losses.
Glenwood was better against Grinnell, Tucker said, but couldn’t get the important hits to go down when they needed in the sweep. The Rams’ Ethan Thompson battled the Tigers’ J.P. Douglas in the No. 6 singles match after splitting the first two games and forcing a super tie-breaker in the third before falling 10-7 in the final game.
“Both LeMars and Grinnell were better than us,” Tucker said. “Give them credit but I will say that we could have played better. When the boys beat Boone (in the district finals) to get to the ‘final four,’ they were hitting shots in clutch moments and at the final four, those shots were just a little long or wide. It was a good experience and returning three of the top four next season will bring confidence to our program.”
The matches at state were the last for seniors Thompson, Harper and Bertini – three players who have been key cogs in the Rams’ success the last three seasons.
“We will miss this group of seniors,” Tucker said. “They played tough all year long and helped lay a winning foundation for our program. Both Ethan Thompson and Sean Harper played the best tennis of their career at the final four and I couldn’t be prouder of the boys for doing that.
“Aaron Bertini ended his tennis career as one of the most athletic kids I will ever coach in the sport. Aaron could run down shots that most people wouldn’t even dream of and that helped him and Adam get to the state tournament.”
But Glenwood’s cupboard is far from bare, the Rams return three of their top four players from this year’s team in Lauritsen, Alex Chekal and Konfrst who will seek an unprecedented third straight conference and district title.
Le Mars 5,
Glenwood 0
Singles
No. 1 - Dylan Harms, L, defeated Sam Lauritsen, G, 6-0, 6-1.
No. 2 - Kyle Marek, L, defeated Alex Chekal, G, 6-3, 6-4.
No. 3 - Thomas Havey, L, defeated Aaron Bertini, G, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
No. 4 - Austin Rieken, L, defeated Adam Konfrst , G, 7-5, 7-6.
No. 5 - Jake Thompson, L, defeated Sean Harper, G, 6-1, 6-1.
Grinnell 5,
Glenwood 0
Singles
No. 1 - Jonah Benning-Shorb, G, defeated Sam Lauritsen, Glen, 6-3, 6-2.
No. 2 - Edward Lopatto, G, defeated Alex Chekal, Glen, 6-3, 6-3.
No. 3 - Adam Van Ersvelde, G, defeated Aaron Bertini, Glen, 6-3, 6-1.
No. 4 - John Trettin, G, defeated Adam Konfrst, Glen, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 - J.P. Dugas, G, defeated Ethan Thompson, Glen, 6-3, 2-6 (10-7).