Cardinal trio leads Newton boys tennis to second at Atlantic

ATLANTIC — Ethan Valtman dominated his bracket, and the Newton boys tennis team finished second at the Atlantic tournament after going 9-3 in matches on Saturday.

The Cardinals were behind only Shenandoah as Valtman won the No. 1 singles bracket and Ethan Freese and Kaden Marshall placed second at No. 2 doubles.

Valtman registered a 6-0, 6-0 win in the first round, produced a 6-0, 6-2 victory in the semifinals and then posted a 6-1, 6-2 triumph in the championship match.

Evan Marshall played No. 2 singles and placed fifth despite losing only one match. He fell 6-0, 7-5 in his opener but scored a pair of straight-set wins on the backside of the bracket.

Evan Marshall’s wins were 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0.

Freese and Kaden Marshall opened No. 2 doubles with 6-0, 6-2 and 6-0, 6-1 wins before losing 6-1, 6-2.

Ezra Bartell and Damien Smith also placed fifth at No. 1 doubles. They opened with a loss but rallied with a pair of wins on the backside.

The Cardinal senior duo won 6-2, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-0 to complete their day.

Pella 11, Newton 0

The Cardinals lost four third-set tiebreakers against Pella on Thursday and dropped their Little Hawkeye Conference matchup, 11-0.

Valtman, Kaden Marshall and Smith all lost in three sets at No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 singles, respectively, and Garett Crandall and Brady Swihart fell in three sets at No. 4 doubles.