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DES MOINES – The Fort Dodge girls tennis team closed out the first week of the season here Thursday with a pair of duals.
The Dodgers fell to Ottumwa, 9-2, and Des Moines Lincoln, 11-2.
In the matchup with Ottumwa, two doubles teams for Fort Dodge earned wins. Paisley Smith and Evie Piton secured a victory in a super-tiebreaker set. Leah Myer and Daphne Groff swept their opponents.
"Paisley and Evie dominated their super-tiebreaker set," FDSH head coach Julie Astor said. "We have had some long matches this week and the girls are tired, but they continue to do whatever is asked of them.
“I can't fault their effort; we just need to stay focused and keep competing."
Smith and Piton won by scores of 3-6, 6-4 (10-4) while Myer and Groff posted 6-4, 6-4 set victories.
In singles, Brooklyn Kaloupek pushed Abigail Ellison to a super-tiebreaker set before coming up short.
Smith and Piton claimed an impressive 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 5 doubles vs. Des Moines Lincoln. Charlotte Breeser and Groff did the same at the No. 6 spot.
Both Myer and Piton lost in super-tiebreaker sets in singles.
"Paisley and Evie both made their singles debuts as freshmen and did really well," Astor said. "They were nervous, but played great tennis.
"The season is short and we have a lot of meets with little practice time, but we are seeing lots of improvements."
Fort Dodge's planned dual with Boone on Friday was postponed due to weather. The Dodgers will host Des Moines Hoover on Tuesday.