Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Growing up playing tennis together Julianna and Caroline Mascardo were both each others’ top teammates and greatest competitors.

They played against one another in practice and with one another in competition while developing their skills.

Separated by a single year in school the sister duo always had an eye on teaming up as a doubles tandem in high school

“We against each other a lot and naturally we we played doubles growing up, we’ve done tournaments together, we’ve won a few,” Julianna Mascardo said. “That was our goal was to play together in high school.”

The Mascardo sisters had to wait a little longer than expected for an opportunity to hit the court together at West High.

What would have been their first season as prep teammates last spring was cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic and this season they started the year playing with different doubles partners.

Since teaming up as a doubles tandem the sisters have been unbeaten.

Caroline and Julianna Mascardo remained unbeaten on the season with a pair of straight set wins on Wednesday on the opening day of the Class 2A state tennis tournament at Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center in Iowa City.

“For a while we were kind of iffy about it, it’s my sister, I fight with my sister and stuff from home can get brought to the court and that was one thing I was worried about,” Julianna Mascardo said. “Now that we have really set our eye on our goal and we know what we want we are playing well together.”

Caroline, a junior and Julianna, a sophomore have been staples in the singles lineup for unbeaten and top-ranked West High this season.

It wasn’t until the sixth match of the season that the two sisters hit the court together as a doubles team.

So far, the two have been a dynamite duo.

With wins over doubles teams from Cedar Rapids Washington and Urbandale on Wednesday the Mascardo sisters improved to 11-0 on the season.

“Playing with Julianna helps because we know where we are going and we can anticipate what the other one might do,” Caroline Mascardo said. “We can better read each other and adjust and play as many balls as we can.”

The sisters were as dominant at the state meet on Wednesday as they have been all season.

Julianna and Caroline haven’t dropped a single set as doubles partners this season after posting consecutive straight set wins on Wednesday.

The duo opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Josie Norris and Mya Messenger of Cedar Rapids Washington and defeated Katie Carver and Lily Dykstra of Urbandale 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

The Mascardos will face the Cedar Falls tandem of Mira Keeran and Maya Mallavarapu in the semifinals on Thursday at 10 a.m.

“I think we played really well in the first match,” Julianna Mascardo said. “The second one we had a good start but toward the end I was getting tired and it was hot out but I thought we played well.”

The Mascardo sisters are attempting to continue a stellar string of recent doubles success for West High.

The Trojans have had a team in the 2A doubles finals each of the past three seasons winning state titles in 2017 and 2018.

“Every time we go to practice they have those signs that has the West High state champions and we are just trying to continue and honor that legacy,” Caroline Mascardo said. “Getting this far has been a goal of our since we were little and we talked about playing doubles together.”

Julianna and Caroline Mascardo are the second West High sister combination to excel in doubles in recent history.

Audrey and Emma Koch won a doubles title together in 2018 and Emma Koch was part of a doubles title with 2017 while Audrey Koch reached the 2019 finals with Jessica Moonjelly.

“We’ve hit with Audrey and Emma before and playing with that caliber of player has helped us improve and prepare for this,” Caroline Mascardo said. “West High has a legacy of doubles success and we want to try to continue that and honor that.”

West High sophomore Ella De Young remained alive in singles play going 2-1 on Wednesday.

De Young defeated Ally Roeth of Waukee 6-3, 6-0 in the opening round and fell to Abbie Petersen of Ankeny Centennial 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

De Young defeated Jordyn Gustafson of Ankeny Centennial 6-1, 6-1 in the consolation bracket and will face Riley O’Donnell of Dubuque Senior on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Liberty High freshman Ella Gilbert went 1-2 in singles play on the opening day of the state tournament on Wednesday.

Gilbert fell to Allison Szalay of West Des Moines Dowling 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round and defeated Ally Roeth of Waukee 6-3, 6-4 in the consolation round before falling to Pleasant Valley’s Lauren Masengarb 6-1, 6-1 in the consolation round.

City High junior Sarah Dockery Jackson went 0-2 in singles play falling to Elaine Wang of West Des Moines Valley 6-1, 6-2 and Ayva Bohr of Cedar Rapids Prairie 6-2, 6-3.

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