It wasn’t much of a table-setter, but there was still plenty to celebrate on Senior Night.
The Marshalltown girls’ tennis team took care of Des Moines Lincoln in decisive fashion on Tuesday at the Marshalltown Court Complex, dispatching the Railsplitters 10-1 to improve to 9-0 for the spring.
Nine of the 10 Bobcat victories came in straight sets, but the comfortable win still served a greater purpose. Marshalltown’s schedule will ramp up over the next week, and Des Moines Lincoln (5-7) gave the Bobcats an opportunity to work on specific facets of their game while getting yet another win.
“Tonight was just another conference match, so we just wanted to make sure we got through it,” said MHS head coach John Fiscus. “We’ve got to work on a few things that we did tonight, but our net play got a little stronger and that’s what I wanted the girls to do.”
The Bobcats improved to 5-0 at home while celebrating eight seniors in the varsity lineup, mixing up some doubles pairings to commemorate the event.
“They’ve had eight matches basically playing with the same girl, so I wanted to have a little mix-up,” Fiscus said. “It was Senior Night so we gave them a chance to play with somebody they haven’t played with before and somebody they wanted to play with.”
Marshalltown nearly secured the dual meet through singles play, going 5-1 before getting to doubles. MHS senior Kennedy Feldman cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles over Anna George to move her record to 6-3 for the year.
Feldman teamed with Rebekah Downs to qualify for last year’s state doubles tournament, but has risen to the occasion as Marshalltown’s No. 1 singles player this spring.
“She’s improved in singles so well and from last year to this year it’s really shown,” Fiscus said.
Kate Sandvick, the lone sophomore in the Marshalltown varsity lineup, toppled Samantha Douds 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2. Seniors Lily Zahnd and Reese Jensen, both from West Marshall, pounded out straight-set wins at Nos. 4 and 5 singles, and junior Ellie Downs battled back for a three-set victory at No. 6, beating Aaniece Owens 2-6, 6-4, (10-3).
Feldman and Sandvick scored a quick 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles, while Jensen and MHS senior Kate Hauser tackled the No. 2 doubles match for a 6-2, 6-2 victory. It was a bit of redemption for Hauser, who dropped a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) decision to Brooke White at No. 3 singles.
“She got the opportunity to move on from singles and she did just that and she did very well with it,” Fiscus said of Hauser.
Ellie Hughes and Rachel Jones racked up a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 4 doubles, and fellow seniors Karsyn Price and Libby Eberle worked for their 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 5.
Marshalltown moves on to face some suburban Des Moines competition for the first time this season when the Bobcats go to Ankeny’s Hawkette Invite on Friday at 10 a.m. Dallas Center-Grimes and Southeast Polk also will be in attendance.
MHS goes on the road to face Ames on Monday for a dual that will decide the Iowa Alliance Conference North Division title.
“We’re getting ready for Ankeny first thing Friday morning and that’s a big one for us because they’re the only ones that beat us in the regular season last year,” said Fiscus. “Ames, that’s the biggest one because that’s for the conference championship. It’s down to us two.”
Marshalltown 10, Des Moines Lincoln 1
SINGLES
Kennedy Feldman (MHS) def. Anna George, 6-0, 6-1
Kate Sandvick (MHS) def. Samantha Douds, 6-1, 6-2
Brooke White (DML) def. Kate Hauser, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
Lily Zahnd (MHS) def. Amelia Shaw, 6-1, 6-1
Reese Jensen (MHS) def. Peyton Lenhart, 6-2, 6-2
Ellie Downs (MHS) def. Aaniece Owens, 2-6, 6-4, (10-3)
DOUBLES
Feldman and Sandvick (MHS) def. George and Shaw, 6-3, 6-1
Hauser and Jensen (MHS) def. White and Douds, 6-2, 6-2
Zahnd and Downs (MHS) def. Lenhart and Owens, 6-3, 6-3
Ellie Hughes and Rachel Jones (MHS) def. Samantha Be and Margaret Theis, 6-1, 6-0
Karsyn Price and Libby Eberle (MHS) def. Kameryn Hoffman and Tabitha Daggett, 7-5, 6-4