Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge girls tennis returning letterwinners are, front row (left to right): Brooklyn Kaloupek, Grace Rivera and Madge Hensley. Back: Manuela Rodriguez, Evah Nostrom, Mia Carpenter and Teagan Loots.

Coming off an eight-win campaign this past spring, head coach Julie Astor and the Fort Dodge girls tennis program looks to carry that momentum over into the quick turnaround of the new fall campaign.

Girls tennis was flipped from spring to autumn beginning this year in an effort to balance out the number of sports offered during a specific season.

For the Dodgers, they will be replacing several key lineup pieces. They do return standout Manuela Rodriguez for her senior season, though.

Rodriguez, who has held the No. 1 spot in the order throughout her high school tennis career, went 14-3 as a junior in singles last spring. Classmate Madge Hensley and junior Mia Carpenter are the only other returning players with varsity singles wins on their resume, as Hensley picked up two victories at No. 5 and Carpenter one in the same slot.

“Manuela has a solid tennis background and is just a smart player with lots of shots she can hit with success,” Astor said. “I can count on her to just take care of business. She is talented in so many areas, and is a great role model for the younger players.

“Madge has played varsity the past couple of seasons and will more than likely move up in the lineup. She has been working hard in the offseason. I look for a solid performance out of her.”

Astor will be replacing the likes of Aynura Muftillaeva, Grace Behrens, Lacey Larson, Janelle Derrig, Kaitlyn Folsom and Claire Thompson, who all graduated. Many were multi-year regulars in the lineup.

“We are replacing 10 seniors lost to graduation,” Astor said. “We have some big shoes to fill, and it’s a new challenge with the move to fall. The girls have a lot of sports and activities to decide between.”

Juniors Evah Nostrom, Grace Rivera, Brooklyn Kaloupek, Teagan Loots, Taylor Martin, Taylor Cote, Caitlyn Uhlenhopp and Lilly Sheeder provide experience, as fellow 11th-graders Bisma Ramvan and Sonia Rodriguez are joined by freshmen Leah Myer, Lilly Walters and Izzy Lara to round out the roster.

“Mia and Grace have been spending a lot of time on the courts and are both looking very good,” Astor said. “Evah will be in the mix for a singles position. Leah has been working on her game over the summer and will be pushing for varsity along with Brooklyn, Teagan, Taylor Martin, Taylor Cote, Caitlyn and Lilly.

“Many of the girls are raw in terms of tennis skills, but have a lot of potential. I feel like the younger girls are learning the sport pretty quickly. They’ll get better every day.”

Fort Dodge opens the season on Thursday when they host Sergeant Bluff-Luton at 1 p.m. and Spencer at 5 p.m.

2025 FORT DODGE GIRLS TENNIS

Roster

Seniors — Manuela Rodriguez, Madge Hensley.

Juniors — Mia Carpenter, Taylor Cote, Brooklyn Kaloupek, Teagan Loots, Taylor Martin, Evah Nostrom, Bisma Ramvan, Grace Rivera, Sonia Rodriguez, Lilly Sheeder, Caitlyn Uhlenhopp.

Freshmen — Leah Myer, Lilly Walters, Izzy Lara.

Schedule

Aug. 7 — Sergeant Bluff-Luton (1 p.m.), Spencer (5 p.m.); 11 — at Ankeny Centennial; 12 — Marshalltown; 14 — at Des Moines North; 19 — Mason City (10 a.m.); 21 — at Des Moines Roosevelt; 22 — vs. Norwalk (10 a.m.), at Urbandale (noon); 26 — Des Moines East; 28 — at Ames.

Sept. 2 — Des Moines Hoover; 4 — at Des Moines Lincoln; 8 — at Boone.