Newton girls finish fifth at LHC tournament

PELLA — The Newton girls tennis team played to its seeds in three of its four brackets during the Little Hawkeye Conference tournament on Wednesday.

The Cardinals moved up one spot to fifth in the final standings after Morgan Frehse and Emersyn Gross played one slot above their seed.

Newton scored 28 points in fifth but trailed Norwalk (32) and Indianola (32) by just four points in the final standings.

Host Pella Christian claimed the conference championship with 40 points, while Pella (36) was the runner-up. Oskaloosa (17) and Dallas Center-Grimes (13) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Paige Benson and Alexis Dirksen both finished third at Flight 1 and Flight 2 singles, while Frehse and Gross took fourth at Flight 2 doubles.

Benson and Dirksen were 2-1 for the day. Benson opened with a 6-2, 6-0 win at Flight 1 singles and won her third-place match 5-7, 6-2, 10-2. She also lost 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Dirksen opened with a 6-0, 6-3 win and finished with a 6-4, 6-1 victory. She also lost her semifinal match.

Frehse and Gross won their first-round match 6-3, 6-4 before losing 6-0, 6-0 and 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 at Flight 2 doubles.

Brooklyn Sterling and Sloan Brodersen went 1-2 at Flight 1 doubles. They lost 6-3, 6-4 before winning 6-3, 7-5. In their fifth-place match, Sterling and Brodersen fell 3-6, 6-2, 10-7.