—Submitted Photo St. Edmond’s Lauren Gibb stands with her medal after placing fourth in the Class 1A state individual tennis tournament.

Lauren Gibb made a statement at the Class 1A individual state tennis tournament.

The St. Edmond senior rolled into the semifinals for the Gaels and came away with a fourth place showing.

“It’s a great feeling to place fourth in the state,” Gibb said. “There were some phenomenal players at the tournament.”

Gibb, who never played tennis until her freshman season, had a strong senior campaign.

“For someone who didn’t pick up a racket until the first day of practice freshman year, I am extremely proud of myself for working my way up until this point,” Gibb said. “The experience is great, being able to play and compete with some of the best players in Iowa is something I will never forget.”

In the semifinals on Saturday she lost to defending state champion Gabriella Fleming (34-1) of Cedar Rapids Xavier, 6-1 and 6-0. It was Gibb’s (19-3) second loss of the season.

In the third place match, she fell to Clare Smock (19-5) of Pella in straight sets.

In the first round, she defeated Abby Hietbrink of Pella (6-4, 6-0) and then upset fourth-seed Gabi Jacobs of Shenandoah (6-3, 6-4).

Gibb was the first St. Edmond girl to make the final four since Ellen Chalstrom in 2013.

“Lauren came to the state tournament ready to show how good she was,” said St. Edmond head coach Shawn Neverman. “She wanted to show why she was deserving of one of the top spots in the state.

“I’m so happy for Lauren and how she played.”