Ballard girls edge Panthers, 5-4

Bombers win battle of all-senior lineups

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Momentum in Friday’s girls tennis showdown here shifted as quickly as the winds whipping through the Southwestern Community College tennis facility.

Ballard, coming in at 4-0 with a history of knocking off the Panther girls in team regional play, found itself trailing 6-3, 7-3 and 6-3 in the first three singles matches, with each of the six singles matches going to 8 points, followed by three doubles contests.

Suddenly, the Bombers had seized the advantage by rallying for an 8-6 win at No. 3 singles. Alli Thomsen won for the Panthers at No. 2 singles, 8-4. At No. 1 singles, Creston/O-M’s Jenna Taylor and state tourney veteran Emily Jurgensen of Ballard were locked up 8-8, lodged in a first-to-seven tiebreaker.

Jurgensen took the early lead and claimed the tiebreaker, 7-5, to give Ballard a 2-1 lead. The advantage grew to 4-2 after Ballard won matches at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, needing only one victory in doubles to clinch the win.

Creston/O-M had success in the first two doubles matches to forge another tie, 4-4. Taylor and Thomsen won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles and Sydney Dunphy — who won 8-5 at No. 4 singles — teamed with Caitlin McIlravy for an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles.

Emi Bendler and Bry Ronca defeated Creston/O-M’s Gracie Russell and Ann Waigand in the final doubles match, 8-3, to lock up the Bombers’ 5-4 triumph. Creston/O-M fell to 1-1 for the season, hosting Clarinda in Hawkeye 10 action today.

The entire varsity lineups for both Ballard and Creston/O-M consisted of seniors in a battle of veteran players, many with experience at the state meet level.

“I’m very proud of the way our girls played tonight,” said Panther assistant coach Amanda Plymale. “This was the first time we were able to play Ballard on our courts in a regular-season dual. Tonight was the most aggressive I have seen the girls be in singles action. They were taking advantage of the wind and attacking the net. All of the singles matches were close and it easily could have swayed our way.”

Plymale said Thomsen and Dunphy were particularly effective in moving their opponents and finding their weaknesses. Taylor, a strong stroker, was matched with a finesse player with a variety of spins on the ball in Jurgensen, and it became a battle of tempo. Jurgensen eventually prevailed in a tightly-contested tiebreaker match.

“When we move into doubles I am always confident,” Plymale said. “It just would have been helpful to have gone into singles tied at 3-3. Ballard is solid again this year and it was a great meet for us early in the season. I know we will see them again in postseason play and we will be ready.”

For playing only the second varsity match of the season, Panther head coach Kevin Cooper thought it was a strong performance.

“They are five meets in now and they are a solid team,” Cooper said. “We let them off the hook in a few singles matches. We have to be more assertive in singles and put the match away when we have that opportunity. I thought Alli and Sydney really stepped up and set the tone in their matches. We played great doubles against great competition!”

Ballard 5, Creston/O-M 4

Singles — Emily Jurgensen (B) def. Jenna Taylor (C/O-M), 9-8 (7-5 tiebreaker); Alli Thomsen (C/O-M) def. Meredith Ossian (B), 8-4; Olivia Astarita (B) def. Caitlin McIlravy (C/O-M), 8-6; Sydney Dunphy (C/O-M) def. Nicole Kling (B), 8-5; Emi Bendler (B) def. Gracie Russell (C/O-M), 8-6; Bry Ronca (B) def. Ann Waigand (C/O-M), 8-3.

Doubles — Taylor-Thomsen (C/O-M) def. Ossian-Astarita (B), 8-3; McIlravy-Dunphy (C/O-M) def. Jurgensen-Kling (B), 8-5; Bendler-Ronca (B) def. Russell-Waigand (C/O-M), 8-3.

JV singles — Megan Haley (C/O-M) def. Miranda Noack (B), 8-3; Kate Reitz (B) def. Chloe Hagle (C/O-M), 8-5.

JV doubles — Noack-Reitz (B) def. Haley-Hagle (C/O-M), 8-5; Anna Zelke-Kari Holmes (B) def. Leah Stow-Macy Evans (C/O-M), 6-1; Becki P-Suna D (B) def. Cassandra Anderson-Levi Hartman (C/O-M), 6-1; Lyndsay K-Mickayla R. def. Rebecca Coleman-Sara Williamson (C/O-M), 6-2; Madison Callahan-Ashley Bargstadt (C/O-M) Sarah K-Cassidy H, 6-0; Katie Reed-Mariah Harlan (C/O-M) def. Mira L-Taylor N, 6-3; Cassandra Anderson-Livi Hartman (C/O-M) def. Jona-Katie (B), 6-4; Rebecca Coleman-Sara Williamson (C/O-M) def. Lauren-Lyndzee M. (B), 6-1; Madison Callahan-Ashley Bargstadt (C/O-M) def. Anna Z.-Kori H. (B), 6-0; Leah Stow-Macy Evans (C/O-M) def. Suna-Becki (B), 6-4.