It was a banner day for Fairfield girls tennis, as 4 Trojans punched their tickets to state at the Class 1A Region 6 Individual Tournament, hosted Wednesday at Fairfield. With high stakes and high rewards on the line, the Trojans came through in both singles and doubles, earning 2 regional championships and a runner-up finish.
Singles Success
Top-seeded senior Poojita Mukadam dominated the singles bracket on her home courts, capturing the regional singles championship and clinching an automatic berth to state. After a 1st-round bye, she swept Keokuk’s Baylee Picton 6-1, 6-0, and then rolled past Knoxville’s Ashlynne Marvelli 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals to secure her spot at state.
Steele, the No. 3 seed, had her own impressive run. She opened with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Centerville’s Ivy McVeigh, then defeated Fort Madison’s Athena Snook 6-0, 6-0 in the 2nd round. The semifinal was a tense battle with Keokuk’s Nevaeh Logan, who had beaten Steele earlier this season at the conference meet in Burlington. This time, Steele flipped the script, rallying from a set down to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in a match that required line judges and even a medical timeout. The comeback victory not only avenged her earlier loss but also punched her ticket to state.
In the all-Fairfield championship final, Mukadam outlasted her teammate Steele 6-2, 6-2 to claim the title.
Doubles Domination
Fairfield’s top-seeded doubles team, Ria Ross and Sriya Yammanur, battled their way to the regional doubles championship and a spot at state. The pair cruised through their first two matches, defeating Fort Madison’s Savannah Sissel and Mady Emmett 6-0, 6-0 and Albia’s Amelia Seddon and Baylor Kirkland 6-0, 6-0. The semifinal against Knoxville’s Addy Dunkin and Ayla Williams proved more difficult, but Ross and Yammanur pulled through 6-0, 7-5 to qualify for state. In the championship match, the pair rallied after dropping the first set to beat Knoxville’s Bridgette Liston and Jordyn Counts 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, earning the doubles title.
The Trojans’ other doubles team, Mareyn Dunkin and Faeven Gebremariam, also had a strong showing, finishing 4th. As the No. 3 seeds, they opened with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Keokuk’s Alexa Sanchez and Divya Kirchner, then defeated Albia’s Molly McAninch and Alexis Rominger 6-1, 6-0 in the 2nd round. Their semifinal against Knoxville’s Liston and Counts ended in a close 4-6, 4-6 loss, just shy of securing a state berth. In the 3rd place match, Mareyn Dunkin and Gebremariam battled Knoxville’s Addy Dunkin and Williams in a marathon but fell 6-2, 6-7(3-7), 7-10, narrowly missing a shot at being state alternates.
Coach’s Perspective
Head coach Travis Dunkin praised the effort and results across the board.
“Last season we got two to state, this year we’ve doubled it to four,” Dunkin said. “It’ll be great to have more at state so they can support and cheer each other on. We have more experience as well, still a young team with five of the six varsity players being juniors. They are continuing to believe in themselves and knowing, hey, we are a great team, and by getting four to state and the other two just missing it by one game proves that for them.”
Dunkin added that the Trojans are already thinking ahead: “We still have team state on our minds, so we’ll continue to prepare the best we can at practice. We learned a lot on what we can improve on with today’s action, so we’ll take that back and get to work.”
As for what drives Fairfield’s success, Dunkin said, “Key to success goes back to just having the girls continue to believe in themselves, knowing they are great tennis players. Play one point at a time—nothing more, nothing less.”
And for the coach, the most rewarding part is simple: “Just watching them have fun together. Tennis is a mentally and physically taxing sport, and to see them all be great together and grow has been a joy.”
Looking Ahead
With Mukadam, Steele, Ross, and Yammanur all qualifying for state, Fairfield will send a strong contingent to the state individual tournament, which begins at the beginning of October on the 1st and 2nd in Iowa City at the Hawkeye Tennis and Rec Center. Meanwhile, the team continues to prepare for the team postseason, with hopes of making another deep run. The Trojans will host Fort Madison on Saturday at noon to advance to the 2nd round for the team tournament. If they win, they will host the winner of Camanche or Maquoketa on Wednesday, September 24th, at 1 PM. Make sure to come out and support the girls with all their success.
