Gaels eager to keep building momentum
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The St. Edmond girls tennis team enters uncharted territory this coming season.
Winners of four consecutive North Central Conference championships, the Gaels are targeting a school-record fifth straight league title while also looking to make an impact on the state level.
Chloe Palmer, Abby Huss, Sophia Schlienz and Olivia Andrew all return after helping St. Edmond to a record of 8-1 last fall. Schlienz and Andrew were also key parts of the Gael softball squad that qualified for the state tournament.
"Expectations are high again for us this year," SEHS head coach Shawn Neverman said. "We have a lot of kids with experience coming back, especially at the top spots in our lineup. But we also have some new faces that will need to be strong players if we want to win a fifth straight NCC title.
"I like the outlook of the team and the program as a whole, with strong numbers coming up through the ranks."
Nina Smith, Jade Rock and Ashlyn Swisher will look to help replace the loss of graduated varsity regulars Ava Andrew and Ava Underberg from a season ago.
"We've had just a week to get ready for meets," Neverman said. "And once the season gets going, there isn't a lot of time for practice. We'll be hitting the courts as much as we can to improve our play."
Huss, a senior, went 12-2 in singles last season – including a 4-0 record at the No. 3 position. Palmer, also a senior, went 9-1.
Schlienz, another 12th-grader, posted a 7-2 mark at No. 6. Andrew, a junior, went 9-2 overall.
The Gaels knocked off both Aplington-Parkersburg and Carroll Kuemper in Class 1A team regionals before falling to Dike-New Hartford in 2025. They won both the regular season and NCC tournament conference titles, posting four shutouts in duals during the year.
St. Edmond opens with Iowa Falls-Alden on Tuesday at Dodger Courts before heading to Carroll Kuemper on Thursday. They return home to finish the first week on Friday vs. Storm Lake.
2026 ST. EDMOND GIRLS TENNIS
Roster
Seniors – Chloe Palmer, Abby Huss, Sophia Schlienz, Nina Smith, Lizzy Tiernan, Emmersyn Peters.
Juniors – Olivia Andrew, Jade Rock, Ashlyn Swisher, Betsy Gruver.
Sophomores – Abby Webster, Kaci McGonegle, Mary Ella Gruver.
Freshmen – Allie Birkett, Dylan Eslick, Brooklyn Swisher.
Schedule
Aug. 11 – Iowa Falls-Alden; 13 – at Carroll Kuemper; 14 – Storm Lake; 17 – Charles City; 18 – at Clear Lake; 22 – at Tulip City Tussle in Pella; 25 – at Nevada; 31 – Boone.
Sept. 1- at Hampton-Dumont/CAL; 8 – Webster City; 16 – host NCC Tournament.