The Dike-New Hartford girls tennis team completed a memorable season with a fourth place finish at Wednesday’s Class 1A State Tournament at Byrnes Park in Waterloo. It was the program’s first state tournament appearance.
The Wolverines began the day with a 5-2 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier in the semifinals. Claire McCumber and Indee Grassley earned 2-0 and 2-1 wins at #3 and #5 singles. In the third place match, the Wolverines fell to Spencer 5-2. McCumber and Addy Joslin recorded 2-0 wins at #3 and #4 singles. Head Coach Reegan Zinkula says her team battled well against some of Iowa’s best competition.
“We started out against #1 Xavier, and going into it we know that they were very good,” Zinkula says. “We watched them at individual state and so our two seniors, Claire and Indee, got two big wins for us there to allow us to even play doubles, which is huge and kind of a win in our book. And then we came with Spencer and we just battled. Every point was earned. We didn’t give anything away. So I’m really proud of how hard they played. They fought till the end. Didn’t matter the score. That’s what I kept telling the girls, don’t worry so much about the score. Worry about how far we have come this year as a team and you individually this season.”
Zinkula on the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
“It’s amazing to say that you’re fourth in the state. Tennis only has two classes, which I think is crazy to start with. And then for us to just to qualify for state in general, first time in school history, and then not only to just make it to state, but to finish fourth in the state. That’s just an amazing feeling. It all goes to those girls. They worked hard for this. They put in a lot of work and dedication. So hats off to them.”
The Wolverines finished 12-3 in duals.
Interview with Coach Zinkula:
