Newton girls tennis suffers narrow loss at team regionals

GRINNELL — Newton’s girls tennis team was oh so close to knocking off Grinnell during the team portion of the Class 1A regional tournament last Saturday.

The Cardinals swept through Saydel in the first round and came within one win of advancing past the host Tigers before ending their season short of a state berth.

Newton won 5-0 over Saydel but ended the team portion of its season with a 5-4 loss to Grinnell.

The Cardinals needed to win just one of the three three-set matches they were in but lost them all during the defeat.

“It was a heartbreaking way to end the season,” Newton girls tennis coach Erik Zehr said. “This team is so much better than our meet record, with so many close losses. To need only one of the tiebreakers and lose all three, it’s just a tough way to go out.”

Lauryn Garrett, Olivia Hotchkin and Ella Swarts, all freshmen, claimed straight-set wins in their singles matches against Grinnell to force a 3-all tie heading into doubles.

In doubles, Hotchkin and Swarts got the team’s final win in straight sets.

“Our three varsity freshmen have been such a revelation this season,” Zehr said. “We are so lucky to have them, and they have improved so much throughout the course of the season. They are hard workers, coachable, have great attitudes and are supportive teammates. I am very excited to coach them for three more years.”

In the other three singles matches against Grinnell, Maggie Garrett and Chassidy Henwood lost three-set matches and Katie McConnell lost in straight sets. The third set in both Maggie Garrett and Henwood’s matches ended 10-8.

Maggie Garrett and Henwood had another three-set match in doubles but lost that one, too. Lauryn Garrett and McConnell lost their doubles match in straight sets.

“Chassidy was battling flu-like symptoms that came up halfway through her singles match and almost had to retire several times,” Zehr said. “It would have effectively forfeited the meet. Instead, she hunkered down and battled as hard as she could to give us a fighting chance.”

Against Saydel, the Cardinals got straight-set wins from Maggie Garrett, Henwood, Lauryn Garrett, McConnell and Hotchkin. Swarts was up 6-0, 3-0 in her singles match when the meet was called because Newton reached the needed five wins.

Cardinals win once at individual regionals

PELLA — Maggie Garrett and Henwood teamed up in doubles at the 1A individual regional tournament on Wednesday and the Cardinal duo got Newton’s lone win as the season ended shy of the state tournament.

Garrett and Henwood were given the No. 3 seed in the doubles bracket. They won their first-round match 6-0, 6-3 over a team from Pella. In the second round, they were defeated 6-2, 6-2 by a doubles team from Oskaloosa.

The Cardinals were 0-3 in their other matches.

Lauryn Garrett lost 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 to third-seeded Jessica King of Centerville in the opening round. King reached the semifinals before losing.

Hotchkin played the other singles match and lost 6-0, 6-1 to fourth-seeded Alloree Else of Pella.

The second doubles team was McConnell and Swarts and they lost 6-3, 6-0 to top-seeded Lauren Bolte and Carra Feiske of Grinnell. The Grinnell duo went on to win the regional doubles championship.