March 28, 2024

Newton sweeps North Polk in shortened meet

The Newton girls tennis team hosted North Polk on Tuesday in a clash of two teams that have gotten off to good starts this season.

With the brisk conditions and gusting winds, it’s no surprise the coach of the Newton girls tennis team, Erick Zehr, and the North Polk coach agreed to shorten the meet to a single “pro set”, which is basically a first-to-ten format.

Whether the format favored one team over another is debatable, but what is not debatable is the fact that the Cardinals rolled over the Comets, winning every match and winning each fairly handily.

On the singles ladder, Katelyn Camp dominated in the one spot, winning 10-1. Katelin Klyn played in the two slot for the Cardinals and won her match 10-5. Bringing home a victory in the number three spot was Jennifer Venting, who won her set 10-3. In the fourth slot, Holly Vander Pol showed a dominant effort with her 10-2 win.
The final two slots belonged to Krystal Mapes and Caitlin Combs, respectively. They each won their respective matches by a 10-2 score.

The doubles ladder featured the same sort of Cardinal dominance as the singles ladder. The team of Camp and Venting played in the top spot for Newton, rolling through their Comet counterparts by a score of 10-2. Klyn and Vander Pol also won their doubles match 10-2 in the two slot for Newton.

Combs played with Monica Corso in what amounted to the closest match all afternoon. However, it was still fairly lopsided as the Cardinals won 10-6.

Mapes and Kate Hinshaw had the only shutout on the afternoon. They turned away their Comet competition without allowing their opponents to win a single game, winning 10-0.

Rounding out the doubles action were Sidney Griffith and Hannah Squire, who won 10-1.

North Polk came into the meet with a 2-1 record, having beaten Southeast Polk 7-4 and rolling over Des Moines Hoover by a tally of 11-0. Their loss on the season was to Ballard.

Zehr was very pleased with the effort, and he is confident in his team going forward to conference play.

“Our girls just played really well, especially considering the conditions. It was cold and windy, but our girls were focused and determined,” Zehr said. “North Polk was largely made up of sophomores and juniors, and our experience advantage showed. Our girls were patient when they needed to be, but put the pressure on their opponents repeatedly. I am very excited that we were able to get the result we did. Hopefully, it will get us started on the right track as we gear up for conference play.”

The Cardinals’ next meet is on Tuesday when they open up conference play, hosting Grinnell at 4:15 p.m.

Sports writer Dustin Turner may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 440, or at dturner@newtondailynews.com.