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DES MOINES -- The Fort Dodge girls tennis team stepped on the courts to begin the 2026 season here Tuesday evening vs. Des Moines Roosevelt.
The Roughriders picked up a 10-1 dual victory over the Dodgers.
The FDSH doubles pairing of seniors Teagan Loots and Brooklyn Kaloupek picked up a win in a super-tiebreaker set. Loots and Kaloupek downed Benneau Pourain and Mya Cullenwars at the No. 2 position, 6-1, 2-6 (10-6).
Paisley Smith and Evie Piton, a pair of ninth-graders for the Dodgers, pushed their opponents to a super-tiebreaker, coming up just short at the No. 6 spot, 4-6, 7-5 (10-7).
"For our first match of the season, I was pleased with the fight the girls had against a solid Roosevelt program," FDSH head coach Julie Astor said. "They had some strong returning varsity players. We pushed them, taking many games to deuce before they pulled them out.
"We have to be better prepared mentally to win those games, and if we do that, the outcome could be very different."
In singles, Evah Nostrom forced a super-tiebreaker set at the No. 2 spot vs. Charlotte Kelderman, falling by scores of 3-6, 6-1 (11-9). Kaloupek took Cullenwars to a tiebreaker in their first set at the No. 4 position, coming up just short.
"Brooklyn was coming off a two-hour singles match in extreme heat, and while she and Teagan both looked tired in doubles, they buckled down and just refused to walk off the court without the win," Astor said. "They definitely left it all out there."
Fort Dodge returns to Des Moines on Thursday, where they will square off with Ottumwa at 1 p.m. and Des Moines Lincoln at 4 p.m. They then take on Boone on Friday at 10 a.m. for their home opener.