Some members of the Fairfield girls tennis program competed in the Class 1A Individual State Tournament on Wednesday, October 7th at Waukee Northwest High School, with Natalie Steele advancing to the second day while both doubles teams wrapped up their state runs after a hard-fought day of tennis.
Natalie Steele — Singles
Steele opened her state tournament run in dominant fashion, defeating Chloe Palmer of St. Edmond 6-2, 6-1 in the first round to advance. In the second round, she ran into No. 2-ranked Maiya Phanchantraurai of Boone, who handled Steele 6-1, 6-1 in a convincing performance. Dropping into the consolation bracket, Steele bounced back with a 6-1, 5-7, 10-3 victory over Evalyn Vogel of Camanche to keep her tournament alive and guarantee herself a top-eight finish — the third consecutive year she has accomplished that feat, having finished eighth each of the past two years.
Steele will open day two on Thursday, October 8th against a familiar face in No. 9-ranked Stella Dvorak of Mount Vernon — the same player Steele defeated to claim the regional singles championship just two weeks ago. Steele beat Dvorak 6-4, 6-4 in that regional final after coming back from a 1-4 deficit in the first set, and the two also met earlier this season at the Pella Tulip City Tussle, where Steele came out on top.
Mareyn and Kinzley Dunkin — Doubles
The Dunkin Duo of senior Mareyn and freshman Kinzley ran into a tough draw in the first round, falling to Charley Diiulio and No. 4-ranked Lea Patrick of Assumption by a score of 6-2, 6-0. In their first consolation match, the Dunkins bounced back to defeat Macey O’Brien and Samantha Wood of Columbus Catholic 6-3, 6-2 to keep their tournament going. In their second consolation match, they battled hard against Ilsa Gruys and Brinley Reuter of Spirit Lake before coming up short 6-3, 6-2, ending their state run just one win short of advancing to day two.
Faeven Gebremariam and Sriya Yammanur — Doubles
Gebremariam and Yammanur opened against Greenley Grell and Claire McGarry of Central DeWitt and fell 6-2, 6-2 in the first round despite playing some competitive tennis. In the consolation bracket, they battled hard against Harley Askelsen and Norah Mudd of Ballard before dropping a 6-3, 6-3 decision to end their state tournament. While the results didn’t go their way, Gebremariam and Yammanur played with heart throughout the day and can hold their heads high.
Coach Dunkin’s Thoughts
Head coach Travis Dunkin said the day was a proud one despite the doubles results not going the way the team had hoped. “Overall great day. Bummed that the two doubles teams didn’t make it to tomorrow but they played some great tennis — something to be proud of for making it to state,” Dunkin said. “For Natalie, awesome to see her earn another top-eight finish for a third year in a row. We have team state yet to go and are ready to take on tomorrow and battle.”
Dunkin also shared a personal reflection on what the day meant to him. “To say I’m beyond happy and proud for this bunch is an understatement. I love being their coach and it is something I’ll always be grateful for.”
