T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - The Grundy Center/Gladbrook-Reinbeck doubles team of Jaren Lauver, left, and Tanner Laube take to the Class 1A state meet today at the Byrnes Park Tennis Center in Waterloo. They’re the first Spartans double team to qualify for state tennis since Doug Shuey and Nate Geer in 2003.

GRUNDY CENTER — A last-minute lineup shuffle for Grundy Center/Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys tennis ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Tanner Laube and Jaren Lauver were paired up in doubles out of early-season necessity. Now, they seek postseason greatness as state qualifiers for the Class 1A singles/doubles tournament that begins today at Byrnes Park Tennis Center in Waterloo.

The duo, who are both Grundy Center students, will take on LeMars’ Michael Meis and Evan Pratt in the first round at 10 a.m. They’re the first Spartans doubles team to qualify for state tennis since Doug Shuey and Nate Geer in 2003.

Earlier this year, they were paired up together for one meet during the season when Gable Eekhoff went out with a broken wrist.

And while the pairing worked in a straight-set win at No. 1 doubles against Iowa Falls-Alden, head coach Jess Larison said they, at the time, had to split up the pair to be more competitive from a team aspect.

When it came time for the singles/doubles tournament, it seemed like a natural fit to return to the pairing.

“They’re high-motor kids that want to go out there and work hard, they want to win badly,” Larison said. “And their chemistry aligns where they’re picking each other up when they’re down. So we’re thinking, they’re two really good singles players, your chemistry aligns the way you want to play tennis, let’s go out there, play hard and see what you can do.”

The two won straight-set matches at the Waterloo district tournament en route to the district semifinals match that would determine who the automatic state qualifier would be.

In a matchup with the third-seeded team of Landon Murch and Vance Rupp of perennial power North Polk, the GCGR team dropped the first set, 7-5, then roared back for a 6-4, 6-0 win in the next two sets to clinch their spot at the state tournament.

“We didn’t get down after that first set,” Laube said. “We talked to coach about strategy and just played hard and hit some good shots in that second set. Then in the third set, we had all the momentum. There was just an aura between Jaren and I.”

For Laube, tennis is something he picked up going into high school and, with time, the junior has rounded into one of the top tennis players in the area.

“This has always been my goal and I thought it was possible once I started playing tennis,” Laube said.

His doubles partner is more of a Jaren-come-lately.

“Roughly four months,” Lauver said of his tennis resumé. “When I picked up the racket, it just felt really natural. My dad [Matt] played tennis, taught me throughout the season. And we have a really good coach that taught me some things. And Tanner, ‘Coach’ Laube, he taught me some things too.”

“Coach” Laube was always a believer in Jaren and what their pairing could do.

“I know how much work I put in in the offseason,” Laube said. “Jaren’s picked up tennis really fast, and we knew going into district we had a chance.”

Both are multi-sport athletes, which doesn’t hurt — if they’re not getting ready on the tennis courts at the George Wilhelm Sports Complex, they’re probably next door at the baseball field.

“Jaren’s just been kind of this sponge for the knowledge that Tanner has, and he has this respect for what Tanner has done to work on his game,” Larison said. “It just works well for them. And I think the district probably helped them build a lot of confidence.”

Maybe Laube and Lauver don’t have the tennis pedigree of their opponents, but that doesn’t dampen the goals for this week. Laube knows about high-profile competition after playing with the Grundy Center football team that recently won the Class A state title.

“We want to win state,” Laube said. “We say that jokingly, but also kind of seriously. Really, it’s about making it through that first day at state.”

Lauver added, “We carry ourselves with a chip on our shoulder. We know the North Polk guys we played in the semis didn’t think much of us. We’re just going out there to hit some winners and compete for Grundy Center. It’s a very special thing to us and our community.”