Seniors shine in Bobcats’ home finale
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown’s Hanna Osgood, right, goes up for the overhand smash at the net while fellow senior Kaelyn Coleman looks on from the baseline during Thursday’s No. 2 doubles match against Union Community at the Marshalltown Court Complex.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown junior Karolina Cross, left, hits a forehand smash at the net during the Bobcats’ dual with Union Community on Thursday at the Marshalltown Court Complex. Cross and Kate Sandvick cruised past Kamryn Foulk and Laura Dutler, 8-1, to help the Bobcats beat the Knights 5-4.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown senior Kate Sandvick serves during Thursday’s double dual including Union and Waverly-Shell Rock at the Marshalltown Court Complex. Sandvick was a perfect 4-0 on the day between singles and doubles play.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown’s Hanna Osgood, right, goes up for the overhand smash at the net while fellow senior Kaelyn Coleman looks on from the baseline during Thursday’s No. 2 doubles match against Union Community at the Marshalltown Court Complex.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown junior Karolina Cross, left, hits a forehand smash at the net during the Bobcats’ dual with Union Community on Thursday at the Marshalltown Court Complex. Cross and Kate Sandvick cruised past Kamryn Foulk and Laura Dutler, 8-1, to help the Bobcats beat the Knights 5-4.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown senior Kate Sandvick serves during Thursday’s double dual including Union and Waverly-Shell Rock at the Marshalltown Court Complex. Sandvick was a perfect 4-0 on the day between singles and doubles play.
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This was the Senior Day exclamation point you hope for.
The Marshalltown girls' tennis team took down Union Community and Waverly-Shell Rock in succession on Thursday at the Marshalltown Court Complex to close out its home schedule in style, driven in the end by a bevy of seniors.
The Bobcats put six seniors in their doubles lineup in the day's finale against Waverly-Shell Rock, and each emerged victorious to help Marshalltown pull away for its fourth consecutive victory, 7-4. MHS topped Union 5-4.
MHS closes the regular season on the road Monday at Des Moines North.
"Just a phenomenal way for us to end Senior Night with six of our seniors winning their varsity doubles matches to seal the victory," said MHS head coach James Christensen.
Marshalltown (8-5) and Waverly-Shell Rock (2-5) came out of singles play in a 3-all tie, but the Bobcats banked four of the five doubles bouts to bring in the win. The deciding victory came from senior Trista Bratland and sophomore Sophie Boone, who beat Morgan Smith and Ava Dermody 6-4, 6-4, to determine the outcome of the dual.
"Sophie and Trista battled in singles against W-SR but just couldn't come up with the final shot," Christensen said. "It was cathartic to see them get that clinching win in doubles."
An all-senior doubles win at the No. 2 position from Kaelyn Coleman and Hanna Osgood -- 6-2, 3-6, (10-8) over Marina Chanan Silva and Taylor Badura -- stretched Marshalltown's final margin of victory.
"Hanna and Kaelyn combining for three wins against some tough competition was huge for them," Christensen said. "They could make some noise in the postseason."
Senior Kate Sandvick and junior Karolina Cross made quick work of Nevaeh Dowlen and Layla Sobczak, 6-0, 6-1, at the No. 1 doubles spot, while seniors Amairra Johnson and Briley McGrew took the No. 5 doubles spot and secured a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Adelaide Johnson and Everly Beam.
It marked the first varsity win for McGrew.
Sandvick, Coleman and Osgood all notched singles wins, including Sandvick's 6-0, 6-0 shellacking of Dowlen.
"Kate was Kate today," Christensen said. "She's just on a different level than her opponents right now. It's my job to get her some tough competition between now and regionals.
Sandvick, Osgood, Cross and Bratland all won their singles matches over Union, and a No. 1 doubles win by Sandvick and Cross over Kamryn Foulk and Charli Weber finished off the Knights (1-7).