March 19, 2024

Eight home matches await NHS boys in 2017

Numbers nine and eight are ones to remember for the Newton High boys’ tennis team in 2017.

The Cardinals have nine returning athletes including five who played varsity tennis a year ago. The Cardinal boys have eight home meets this season.

“I’m very excited about our team this year. I have a lot of motivated returners to lead the new players this season,” Newton second-year head coach John Bieber said.

Newton went 2-7 in dual tennis meet action last year and was 1-3 in Little Hawkeye Conference dual meets. The Cardinals finished fourth in the 2016 Little Hawkeye Conference tournament.

Seniors Seamus Vandemore and Reid Miller, both voted as this year’s team captains, played in last year’s LHC tournament for the Cardinals. Nick Ver Steeg is another senior varsity returner along with sophomores Collin Hemann and Brady Eberline.

“We’re going to keep building on our work last year to develop everyone’s game,” Bieber said. “I was very impressed with the first week of practice with the effort the team is putting in. If we keep up this energy and fight we will have a good season.”

Newton has senior Nathan Warren and juniors Grant Hamond, Devon Van Brogen and Noah Peterson back on the tennis courts. It has five new players in senior Alex Miller, sophomores Kyle Hansen, Jacob Warren and Grant Freeze and freshman Logan Henning.

Vandemore played No. 1 doubles in the LHC tournament a year ago and it finished fourth. Reid Miller competed as the No. 2 singles player for Newton in the conference tournament, taking fifth.

Bieber is working to find which players work well as a doubles team. Hemann and Eberline played as a doubles team last year as freshmen and had some success.

The Cardinals open the season Thursday at home against Des Moines East in non-conference play. They have three home meets to begin the season, all non-conference.

Newton opens LHC play at Grinnell on April 11. It hosts Norwalk on April 20 then had four home meets to conclude dual action in late April and early May.

Newton competes in Class 2A playoffs, but did not have anyone advance last year.

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