The Fairfield girls tennis team closed out their last regular home meet of the season Monday, August 31st with a perfect 9-0 sweep of Fort Madison on a very hot day — and for the first time this season, did so without dropping a single game across all nine matches.
It was a milestone moment for the Trojans, who had dropped one game on two separate occasions earlier in the season against Fort Madison and Davis County. Monday’s match was the cleanest performance of the year, with every Fairfield player winning their singles match 8-0 and all three doubles teams winning by comfortable margins.
At No. 1 singles, Ria Ross defeated Lucille Zimmerman 8-0. Natalie Steele won 8-0 over Mikah Washington at No. 2. Sriya Yammanur handled Bella Vollmer 8-0 at No. 3. Mareyn Dunkin won 8-0 over Fayth Chamness at No. 4. Faeven Gebremariam defeated Emma Ramsey 8-0 at No. 5, and freshman Kinzley Dunkin closed out singles with an 8-0 win over Madison Pohlpeter at No. 6.
In doubles, Ross and Aubrey Ryan won 8-0 at No. 1 over Zimmerman and Washington. The Dunkin Duo of Mareyn and Kinzley won 6-0 at No. 2 over Vollmer and Chamness. Yammanur and Gebremariam closed things out 6-0 over Pohlpeter and Ramsey at No. 3. Steele sat out doubles to nurse a lingering injury.
Steele reflected on the performance and the significance of the final home meet. “I think today went great. I mean, everyone’s playing at their best, so, all good,” she said. She acknowledged the day carried some weight emotionally. “It’s going by fast. I mean, what, this is our last home game, so it’s crazy.” Looking ahead, Steele said her immediate focus is the conference tournament. “My next expectation is to go to conference and play my best and get better.” She noted she is taking her advancement toward state one day at a time, acknowledging it is the ultimate goal but that she needs to get some things in order first.
Senior Mareyn Dunkin summed up her final regular season simply. “Excellent,” she said when asked how her senior season has gone. “And all the tournaments we’ve been to.”
Freshman Kinzley Dunkin reflected on what this season has meant to her. “First and last year with the Bear and all the seniors on varsity,” she said. “So I’m going to miss them next year.” The Dunkin Duo shared their expectations heading into the postseason — to get to state and compete for a top-ten finish. “To win state and get our names on the plaque,” Kinzley said. The duo noted they have already shown they can compete at that level, winning first place at one tournament and capturing a consolation championship at another earlier this season.
Fairfield improves to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play as Fort Madison drops to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in conference play. Fairfield will travel to Mount Pleasant on Thursday, September 3rd as conference action is nearing its end.
