Red Oak tops Southwest Valley in tennis

Ahead of a big week for the Red Oak girls tennis team, the Tigers got their first win of the season by blanking Southwest Valley, 9-0.

“For our second match, I think it went great,” coach Nita Martinez said. “We’re still learning how to play. Especially with doubles, it’s hard finding a partner.”

The youth Red Oak has this season has been on display, especially in its first match loss to Kuemper 5-4. Red Oak has just two returning starters.

“It’s building,” Martinez said. “It’s always nice to be able to play these because more people to play and that’s what we need right now.”

For Southwest Valley the issue is also a lack of experience, and head coach Pete Nett said he has seen improvements in his team’s ability since the start of the season. 

“We’re young and inexperienced,” he said. “We knew coming in this was going to be rough on us to start, but I wasn’t disappointed with how we played today.”

The improvements Nett said he has seen from his team from the start of the season are significant.

“A lot of the freshmen girls started out not being able to get the ball over the net at all,” he said. “Tennis is a sport where you don’t magically turn it around with the snap of a finger, it’s a game where you gradually get better and I think our players have done that.”

Red Oak was still able to sweep the Timberwolves.

Sarah Behrens swept Brittany Wertlake 8-0, while Bailey Bruce took on Sydney Dimmler and won, 8-2.

Macy Baker defeated Ashtya Grossnickle 8-1 and Jordyn Cornelison defeated Danielle Wetzel, 8-0.

To finish up the singles series, Dana Marsden defeated Jacy Shafer, 8-2, while Veronica Ramos defeated Danika Drake, 8-0.

The doubles proved to be more challenging for Red Oak, as Behrens and Baker were tested by the team of Wertlake and Dimmler, squeaking by with a 9-7 win.

Cornelison and Marsden took on Grossnickle and Shafer and won, 8-1, while Bruce and Perla Hernandez swept Wetzel and Bailey Hensely, 8-0.

Up next for Red Oak is a tough week during which it takes on some of the perennial powers of the Hawkeye-10.

Red Oak takes on Glenwood, Lewis Central, and Shenandoah in a week that Martinez said will show the team where they stand.

“We need to keep our focus and realize what we have to do,” she said. “Sometimes we think we have to come out and hit the ball really hard, but what we really need to do is keep the ball in play.”

April 11, Red Oak lost its first match of the season to Carroll Kuemper 5-4.

Red Oak split the singles as Baker, Sydney Streicher, and Marsden won their matches. Baker knocked off Jadie Knobble 8-1, Streicher defeated Annie Steffes, 8-2, and Marsden got the win against Maddie Eisheid, 8-6.

Kuemper was able to get two wins to one in the doubles portion, as the teams of Bailey Nichols and Madeline Schwartz defeated Behrens and Baker, 8-4, while Cora Hicks and Knobble knocked off Bruce and Marsden from Red Oak, 8-4. The only doubles match win for Red Oak was a decisive, 8-2 victory as Cornelison and Streicher defeated the Kuemper team of Steffes and Maddie Eischeid.

Red Oak’s first matchup of an important week came last night against Glenwood; following that Red Oak takes on Shenandoah today at home and then finish out the week Thursday when it welcomes Lewis Central.