The road to another state title runs through Waukee for Gabriella Fleming, and the Cedar Rapids Xavier star is still the name everyone has to circle.
Fleming has won the last three Class 1A singles championships, and now she gets a shot at something even bigger: a fourth. That pursuit sits at the center of the Iowa girls high school tennis state brackets, which were announced by the IGHSAU.
The Class 1A and Class 2A singles and doubles tournaments are set to open Wednesday, October 7, and wrap up the next day. Class 1A will be held in Waukee at Waukee Northwest High School, while Class 2A moves to Waterloo for matches at Black Hawk Tennis Club and Byrnes Park.
The switch from spring to fall, made by Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union officials two years ago, hasn’t slowed Fleming down at all. She captured her third straight title last year and now stands one win away from joining a very small club.
She’s not the only player with history in sight. Waukee Northwest’s Addison Latta is also chasing another championship after winning the Class 2A title as a freshman last season.
The singles bracket gives Fleming an opening-round matchup with Stella Britton of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Latta opens against Elizabeth Grinnall of Clinton.
Other Class 1A first-round pairings include Kaelyn Denhay of Central DeWitt against Stella Dvorak of Mount Vernon, Sofia Alinea of Charles City against Charlotte Schwabe of Kuemper Catholic, and Grace Huniker of Decorah facing Chandy Nothwehr of Clarinda.
Camryn Glass of Sergeant Bluff-Luton meets Evalyn Vogel of Camanche, Natalie Steele of Fairfield draws Chloe Palmer of St. Edmond, and Ella Seney of Grinnell takes on Maiya Phanchantraurai of Boone.
In doubles, Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Kelsey Weiss and Gemma Younadam start against Addy Dunkin and Bridgette Liston of Knoxville. Sioux City Bishop Heelan’s Maria Ernesti and Kate Kelly open with Payton Foster and Lauren Muller of Dike-New Hartford.
Spencer’s Kennedy Graettinger and Brynn Merchant meet Harley Askelsen and Norah Mudd of Ballard, while Fairfield’s Faeven Gebremariam and Sriya Yammanur face Greenley Grell and Claire McGarry of Central DeWitt.
The bracket also includes Kaylee Kuehl and Livi Schneider of Boone against Macey O’Brien and Samantha Wood of Waterloo Columbus Catholic, Kinzley Dunkin and Mareyn Dunkin of Fairfield versus Charley Diiulio and Lea Patrick of Davenport Assumption, and Nisha Koneru and Claire Mier of Dubuque Wahlert Catholic against Ilsa Gruys and Brinley Reuter of Spirit Lake.
Alisyn Hansen and Lyla Mather of Shenandoah open against Reagan De Jong and Addison Namminga of Pella.
Waukee Northwest also lands in the doubles draw with Riley Hilton and Alexa Perugini facing Sophia Singh and Iris Vasi of Iowa City West, and Grace Hall and Kaj Kabongo of Pleasant Valley meeting Claire Hurlburt and Ella Steffensmeier of Waukee Northwest.
The rest of the bracket features Regan Christoph and Blythe Kahler of Iowa City Liberty against Indre Jankunas and Ayla Suiter of Cedar Falls; Reagan Boies and Gabby Erickson of Linn-Mar against Elliana Behn and Linda Lu of Johnston; Tayven Carter and London Kelley of West Des Moines Valley versus Berkley Johnson and Maddie Shell of Dowling Catholic; Rory Bird and Madelyn Dalton of West Des Moines Valley against Ivy Hoden and Morgan Kass of Dubuque Hempstead; Elsie Gross and Grace Wang of Iowa City West facing Jessi Johnson and Victoria Valverde of Dowling Catholic; and Harper Doerder and Janet Toe of Waterloo United against Brianna Launderville and Zoey Studer of Johnston.
In Class 2A singles, Dowling Catholic’s Kezia Edward takes on Chahana Katreddy of Pleasant Valley, Iowa City Liberty’s Vivian Kahler meets Madelyn Jepsen of North Scott, Dubuque Senior’s Madeline Bellomy draws Claire Jepsen of North Scott, Clinton’s Tenley Cewe faces Ruby Weber of Waukee Northwest, West Des Moines Valley’s Kaitlyn Nguyen meets Sophia Launderville of Johnston, and Marshalltown’s Kate Sandvick opens against Mackenzie Sagers of Cedar Falls.
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