Tag Archive for: tennisblog

The Pioneers’ Tennis Season Ends

/in /by
🎾Congratulations to the Pioneer boys and girls for a great season!🎾
 
The Pioneer girls had a record high number of players this year while the Pioneer boys team qualified for sub-state.
 

We hear from the tennis coaches of each team who comment on the conclusion of the season:

 
pioneer girls tennis team“Maharishi Girls team not only won the first 12 games of the year, but had never dropped two matches in the same contest. This included 5-0 wins in the regional tournament, one against Notre Dame and one against Davis County.
 
It was an impressive season for a Pioneer squad that had only played two seasons over the previous four years. Maharishi didn’t have the numbers for a tennis team in 2018, and the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
“I’m really proud of our girls’ improvement,” Eyre said.
“They’ve done such a great job,” Eyre said. “My hat is always going to be with these girls for sticking with it and inspiring others to do it.”
Eyre specifically mentioned the growth of his seniors. Out of the six varsity players, Fenton and Mohanraj were the only ones playing in their last season. Both were freshman on the 2019 team that brought girls tennis back to Maharishi.
 
tennis boys“Our team exceeded expectations this spring. The Pioneers went 8-2 and reached the final sixteen in the state tournament after finishing district runner-up behind 3 time defending state champions, Cedar Rapids Xavier.
 
The Pioneer’s top 2 players have only played for a year. Zak and Ruimin competed against some really skilled players and won their share of matches. I can’t think of another player in Iowa who developed as quickly as Zak and Ruimin. They worked really hard and their results are impressive. I expect big things from them next year.
 
The Pioneer’s only senior, Dominic DuPoux was 18-0 in dual meet competition before losing his final match against Boone. The team voted Dominic the MVP award for his consistency inmaharishi school tennis singles and doubles.
 
Jayanta Wegman, Polo Altynski-Ross, Chacho Rosler, and Mekhi Kahui all made significant strides and will form a strong nucleus for next year’s team.” -Coach Steve Briggs
A huge congratulations to all the teams, we look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the world of tennis next year!

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Maharishi Girls’ Tennis 9 Burlington Notre Dame 0

/in /by

Tennis Coach Lawrence Match Report

The Pioneers upped their season record to 6-0 with a 9-0 win over Burlington Notre Dame that was also a race against the rain. “There was a sense of urgency for both teams today–we barely finished our matches before the clouds opened.”
Bella Castle sparkled with an 8-0 victory at #4 singles, and she teamed up with Vaisnavii Mohanraj for an 8-1 win at #2 doubles.
Maharishi will host the Pioneer Invitational this Saturday, with round robin play in two singles flights and two doubles draws.  Albia, Centerville, Davis County and Burlington Notre Dame will be joining the Pioneers at the Punj Tennis Center outdoors for match play starting at 9 am.

 Singles Results

Po.MatchupSet 1Set 2Set 3Result
1 Elizabeth Hamma vs.  Lily Fenton8-1winner-team-logo 1-0
2 Ashi Pennaka vs.  Ishita Mukadam8-0winner-team-logo 1-0
3 Isabella Blaufuss vs.  Vaisnavii Mohanraj8-4winner-team-logo 1-0
4 Shona Andersen vs.  Isabella Castle8-0winner-team-logo 1-0
5 Jasmine Jong vs.  Saraswati Quevedo-Valls8-2winner-team-logo 1-0
6 Chloe Diewold vs.  Daira Valls Blazquez8-2winner-team-logo 1-0

 Doubles Results

Po.MatchupSet 1Set 2Set 3Result
1 Elizabeth Hamma/Ashi Pennaka vs.  Lily Fenton/Ishita Mukadam8-1winner-team-logo 1-0
2 Isabella Blaufuss/Shona Andersen vs.  Isabella Castle/Vaisnavii Mohanraj8-1winner-team-logo 1-0
3 Jasmine Jong/Chloe Diewold vs.  Saraswati Quevedo-Valls/Daira Valls Blazquez8-3winner-team-logo 1-0

To read more about Pioneer Girls tennis, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Pioneers Boys Defeat Keokuk — 8-1

/in /by

Tennis Coach Steve Briggs Reports

The Maharishi Pioneers boys tennis team won convincingly against Keokuk, extending their record to 6-0 for the season.maharishi school tennis

The only loss the Pioneers suffered was due to injury. Playing his first match at #1, Zak Askar injured his ankle at the end of the opening set, which he lost 7-5 to Spanish exchange student, Ivan Lopex. The Keokuk #1 is one of the best players in Southeast Iowa. The extent of Zak’s injury isn’t known, but we hope he’s back on court soon.
#1 doubles provided plenty of excitement. With Zak watching from the bleachers, Polo and Jayanta moved into #1 doubles slot where they faced Lopez and Worster. At 7-7, the Pioneer duo lifted their play to seal the win 9-7. Polo served a strong game at 7 all and came up with the shot of the match in the final game to help secure the win.
“As a coach I pay attention to how the boys handle pressure. Pressure is a fact of life in every sport and the boys are getting familiar with the challenging thoughts and emotions that surface in a close match,” explained Coach Briggs. “Conquering the nerves is a major step toward becoming a top level player.”

Congratulations to Polo Altynski-Ross for being selected as Pioneer Player of the Match. 

To read more about Pioneer Boys tennis, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Perseverance Propels Pioneers Tennis Team to 6-3 Win Over Mt Pleasant

/in /by

Pioneer Tennis Report by Steve Briggs

pioneer tennis boys teamThe two remaining undefeated tennis teams in Southeast Iowa squared off at the Punj courts on a day when lobs were swallowed by low hanging clouds.

In securing the win, the Pioneers tore a page out “Winning Ugly,” a popular tennis handbook.
“Sometimes it’s not so pretty,” admitted Coach Briggs. “We battled hard to beat a team that doesn’t give you anything. Every guy on Mt Pleasant’s team hustles after everything on every point. I told the guys we’ll take winning ugly anytime over going down looking pretty. It was one of those matches where 1-6 we stayed committed. Every guy on the team won for us today.”
“One of our guys texted from class that he was really nervous,” smiled Briggs, “so before we took the court, I told the guys: ‘have some fun… we’re not going up against the Russian Army.’”
The meet had plenty of heroics… none more than the play produced by Pioneer junior, Zak Askar, the Pioneer Player of the Match.
“Zak’s a rookie but he played like a veteran. He’s only played four varsity matches, but he overcame gritty opponents in both singles and doubles (along with partner Ruimin Luo) to help seal the Pioneer victory,” said Briggs.
The Pioneers (4-0) put their undefeated record on the line against Fairfield HS on Thursday at the FF Middle School courts.

Singles  Scores

1. Ruimin Luo lost to Owen Van Sickel. 7-5, 1-6, 10-6
2. Zak Askar defeated Jake Ensminger. 7-5, 6-4
3. Polo Altynski-Ross lost to Levi Graber 6-1, 6-4
4. Jayanta Wegman defeated Tim Cam. 6-0, 6-1
5. Dominic DuPoux defeated. Elliot Cook 6-4, 6-4
6. Mekhi Kahui lost to Lou Schimmelpfenig. 6-0, 7-5

Doubles  Scores

1 Ruimin and Zak. Defeated Owen and Jake. 7-6, 6-4
2. Polo and Jayanta defeated Levi and Tim. 7-6, 7-2
3. Dominic and Mekhi defeated Lou and Elliot 6-4, 6-4

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.