AMES — The Iowa Alliance Conference’s North Division crown now must go through Marshalltown.
The Bobcat girls’ tennis team beat Ames for the second year in a row to secure its second-straight conference crown, beating the Little Cyclones 8-3 on Monday in Ames.
The Marshalltown girls improved to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in North Division action to move into Tuesday’s regular-season finale at home against Des Moines North riding high.
The final 8-3 tally is as close as any 11-match dual has been for the Bobcats this season. Even if all four third-set super-tiebreakers had gone the Little Cyclones’ way, Marshalltown still would have prevailed.
Ames won the first last singles matches on the lineup card, including Laura Chen’s three-setter over Kennedy Feldman at No. 1, 2-6, 6-3, (10-8). Marshalltown’s Kate Hauser nullified the three-set scramble by beating Amaya Dassanayake at No. 3, 6-2, 4-6, (10-8).
Kate Sandvick, Lily Zahnd and Reese Jensen racked up straight-set victories in their singles bouts, but Lila Goodenow topped Ellie Downs at No. 6 to leave it at 4-2 Bobcats going into doubles play.
Marshalltown’s strength, however, is its depth, and the Bobcats got the job done quickly.
Feldman and Sandvick tallied a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Chen and Helen Mao, while Hauser and Zahnd added a 6-3, 6-2 win over Dassanayake and Elizabeth Greenfield.
Jensen and Downs rallied back to win at No. 3 doubles, beating Yerin Lee and Chloe Nguyen, 2-6, 6-1, (10-4), while Ellie Hughes and Rachel Jones scored a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 4 against Zoey Jones and Stella Gens.
Ames got its only doubles win in comeback fashion at No. 5 as Clara Fulton and Erin Cho came back for a 1-6, 6-1, (10-4) decision over Karsyn Price and Bella Avise.
Tuesday’s regular-season finale for the Bobcats begins at 4 p.m. at the Marshalltown Court Complex.
Marshalltown 8, Ames 3
SINGLES
Laura Chen (A) def. Kennedy Feldman, 2-6, 6-3, (10-8)
Kate Sandvick (MHS) def. Helen Mao, 6-0, 6-0
Kate Hauser (MHS) def. Amaya Dassanayake, 6-2, 4-6, (10-8)
Lily Zahnd (MHS) def. Elizabeth Greenfield, 6-3, 6-3
Reese Jensen (MHS) def. Zoey Jones, 6-1, 6-1
Lila Goodenow (A) def. Ellie Downs, 6-1, 6-2
DOUBLES
Feldman and Sandvick (MHS) def. Chen and Mao, 6-3, 6-1
Hauser and Zahnd (MHS) def. Dassanayake and Greenfield, 6-3, 6-2
Jensen and Downs (MHS) def. Yerin Lee and Chloe Nguyen, 2-6, 6-1, (10-4)
Ellie Hughes and Rachel Jones (MHS) def. Z. Jones and Stella Gens, 6-3, 6-1
Clara Fulton and Erin Cho (A) def. Karsyn Price and Bella Avise, 1-6, 6-1, (10-4)