Girls tennis: Bulldogs net experience in sweep of Hoover

OTTUMWA — The past two duals have provided members of the Ottumwa High School girls tennis team to experience new challenges.

On Tuesday at Des Moines East, Ava Barnes got to experience the view from the top of the line-up playing in the No. 1 singles match for the first time.

“She was a little hesitant at first,” Ottumwa head girls tennis coach Leanna White said of Barnes. “I let her know that she was going to be fine. She found out that it wasn’t that bad.”

Barnes was able to sweep nine games against East senior Jennifer Martinez as the Bulldogs rolled to an 11-0 win over the Scarlets dropping just five of the 104 games played in the dual. Madalynn Seretterh and Jenna Linstead also picked up wins moving up in the singles line-up playing in the top three varsity matches for the first time while freshman teammates Sonya Lungren and Abigail Ellison picked up their first wins in varsity singles play on Tuesday against the Scarlets.

On Thursday, Lundgren and Ellison came together for their first varsity doubles test as Ottumwa picked up another Iowa Alliance Conference south division sweep against Des Moines Hoover. Playing in the No. 3 doubles match, the Bulldog freshmen closed out Ottumwa’s 11-0 win over the Huskies with a 9-1 win over Noelle Sanders and Lola Miner.

“It felt like the air and the vibe was all there. It was really fun,” Ellison said of her first varsity matches. “With the more games that I’m starting to play, the more it feels like this is what it is. Once I got going, I started to relax. I play better when I’m relaxed.”

The vibe has certainly been much more relaxed this week as White has taken the opportunity to get several different Ottumwa players into the line-up. Nellie Morgan and Jordan Lee returned to the top two singles matches on Thursday to score 9-0 wins for the Bulldogs just two days before taking the court in the Pella Invitational while Hunter Caldwell and Ashlyn Hough, varsity doubles partners earlier this season, both stepped into the singles line-up for the first time on Thursday scoring 9-1 wins for the Bulldogs.

“I was pretty excited about it. Other than at practice, I’ve only ever played doubles,” Hough said. “It was definitely hard not having somebody else there that could get to the ball if I couldn’t. Being able to volley was something I learned I could do pretty well. I’m used to having someone else do it when I’m front in doubles. I’ve never been confident in it before, but I found out that I’m surprisingly good at it.”

Naw Clay finished off singles play for Ottumwa (4-3, 4-0 Iowa Alliance) on Thursday with a 9-0 win over Miner. Barnes and Sertterh, after playing in the top singles matches on Tuesday, posted a 9-1 win in the top doubles match against Hoover as did Jaslyn Parsypo and Giselle Cordova representing the Bulldogs as the No. 2 doubles team.

Claire Vogt and Harper Bradley added a 9-0 sweep in the No. 4 doubles match for Ottumwa. Ana Toloza helped Emma Fogle earn a win in her varsity debut on Thursday in the No. 5 doubles match after Toloza debuted on Tuesday joining Vogt in a 9-0 doubles win over the Des Moines East.

“We’re going to have two important spots to fill next year. We’re trying to build our program as much as we can, especially with next season starting in the fall. It’s going to be a quick transition,” White said. “There’s not going to be a lot of time to change much. It’s good to see players step up into bigger roles than they’ve had in the past.”

While Caldwell found success on Thursday in singles play, winning 9-1 over Genesis Perez in the No. 4 match, the Ottumwa senior is looking forward to returning to doubles competition. Caldwell has had multiple partners throughout the season including Emerson Keith and Sertterh as well as Hough.

“I love playing doubles just to have someone out there with my to laugh and joke around with if something happens,” Caldwell said. “Singles is definitely more of a mental game. You definitely beat yourself up more. I’d play singles again if I had to, but I definitely enjoy doubles and getting to enjoy being out there with different teammates.”

While Caldwell will be graduating after this season, the Ottumwa senior has tried to talk even more students into joining the Bulldog girls tennis program. Besides the comradery, Caldwell credits success in other athletic activities to the skills that are developed through the sport.

“In softball, I’ve been able to react better at the plate. It’s helped me a lot with my hitting,” Caldwell said. “It’s been fun, especially during my senior year. That’s what I try to tell anyone interested in tennis.”