March 19, 2024

Young players to fuel 2015 Cardinal tennis teams

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Newton High’s girls and boys have a small core of players to build on for the 2015 tennis season. The Cardinal squads are working to have inexperienced and younger players to step up to fill varsity spots.

Cardinal girls’ head tennis coach Erick Zehr said the girls have four returning varsity players in seniors McKenna Heisdorffer and Marisa Modin, junior Sierra Griffith and sophomore Megan Pressgrove.

“Normally, I have a pretty good idea what to expect going into a season, but this season couldn’t be more different,” Zehr said. “I have a bunch of varsity spots to fill, and far more players that will be vying for them. While the uncertainty and the inexperience will be less than ideal, I’m hoping it will create a climate of competition that will make us better in the end as a result.”

For second-year head coach Nick Hoskins, the Cardinal boys’ varsity spots are up for grabs. Newton’s boys have two varsity players back in senior Jared Griffin and sophomore Joe Stammeyer.

Newton’s tennis teams open the 2015 season April 7. The boys are at home against Marshalltown while the girls are at Marshalltown.

Girls Tennis

Heading into his fifth season as the Cardinal girls’ head coach, Zehr said the girls have a bunch of returning players who are chomping at the bit to contribute.

“They are all young and inexperienced. McKenna, Marisa, Sierra and Megan will make up the core of our varsity lineup, leading us with the top singles spots, and likely the top doubles teams,” Zehr said. “The question is how the rest of the varsity lineup will fill out.”

He said the players who show the most improvement in the next couple of weeks will be the ones coaches will be looking to fill out the varsity roster. Zehr has first-year assistant coach Molly Kremer to help guide the girls to improve.

“Molly, who teaches at Berg Elementary, played for Fort Dodge High School and Wartburg College,” Zehr said. “She was a head coach at her previous school. We’re really excited about what she brings to the program between her playing ability, her competition experience and general expertise.”

Newton’s girls have had back-to-back 9-1 seasons, going 6-0 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. They also are two-time defending regular season LHC champions and conference tournament champions. A year ago, the Cardinals had a 34-straight match win streak and had an 11-3 record in third-set tiebreakers.

“We had a remarkable season and the departure of the key players leaves very large shoes to fill. But this season, we have a deep roster, so I’m hoping we have girls who have what it takes to rise to the next level,” Zehr said.

Newton’s girls have just one home meet this season — April 28 against Des Moines North. Zehr said the condition of the courts at Aurora Heights prompted moving all but one meet to road meets.

Other members of the NHS 2015 girls’ tennis team are seniors Melanie Stice, Arianna Jamieson, GiGi Chen and Brenda Becerra, juniors Kate Wyre, Stacie Sanger, Elizabeth Myers, Madison Humphrey and Cierra Armstrong, sophomores Katherine Thorpe, Jordyn Soule, Hayley Sinclair and Morgan Modlin, and freshmen Haley Walton, Sarah Urias, Kinzie Loree, Isabella Leach, Maddie Gooding-Hunt, Echo Downs, Alexandra Doepp, Natalie Camp, Ali Bestell, Bethany Baumgartner and Rylie Bakalar.

Boys Tennis

Along with Griffin and Stammeyer, there are 13 others on the Newton boys’ tennis roster this season. Hoskins pointed out the Cardinal boys graduated almost all of is varsity squad from last year’s 1-8 campaign.

“I will be looking to some young players to fill in. I am excited to see how some of the returning players have improved and how the younger new players will adapt and react to competitive tennis,” Hoskins said. “I have no starting slots filled so everyone will be vying for a varsity spot at the beginning of the season.”

Michael Retman is the other senior on the squad along with Griffin. Juniors out are Nick Geerlings, Jonah Keeton, Alejandro Llanos, Michale McKinney and Parker Schuster.

Other sophomores on the team are Reid Miller and Seamus VandeMore along with James and John Trettin, who are from Lynnville-Sully High School. Newton and Lynnville-Sully have a cooperative agreement for boys’ tennis this season.

Newton had three freshmen on the team in Lucas Clayton, Kaelind Nevels and Noah Petersen.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com