Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

MARION – The highly anticipated meeting of Class 2A tennis powers West High and Linn-Mar on Tuesday was billed as a rematch of last year’s state title match.

The number one vs. number two matchup could very well serve as a preview of this season’s state championship.

Regardless of if it was a championship rematch or preview Tuesday’s meeting lived up to the hype and then some.

Second-ranked West High (6-0) got a win in the final match of the dual from Brad DiLeo and Eli Young at No. 3 doubles to secure a 5-4 win over top-ranked Linn-Mar (7-1) in a Mississippi Valley Conference showdown in Marion.

“This means a lot to me since it’s my last Linn-Mar regular season match,” DiLeo said. “It was good to get a victory in this match and I hope to see them in the state championship.”

Linn-Mar and West High have met three of the last four seasons 2A title matches.

Tuesday was the first meeting between the two Eastern Iowa powerhouses since West High earned its fifth title in the past six seasons with a 5-1 win over the Lions in last year’s title match.

“I think some people thought we were going to be a lot worse than we are and I think some people tried to write us off and if anything we kind of use that to fuel what we do,” West High coach Mitch Gross said. “We have a really, really solid group we don’t have a superstar like we did but we have six real solid tennis players.”

West High nearly locked up the match during singles play.

The Trojans got wins from Jack Wenzel, Eli Young, Brad DiLeo and Mukundan Kasturirangan during singles play.

Junior Sasha Chackalackal had a chance to put the match away, leading Linn-Mar senior Ben Hediger 8-5 in a third-set super tiebreaker.

However, Hediger rallied for a 10-8 win to give the Lions the momentum heading into doubles play.

Linn-Mar earned straight set wins at both number one and number two doubles to even the match at 4-4.

 “I was happy with our singles play but not happy with our doubles play,” Gross said. “We didn’t come out with what we needed to and I think part of that is we were literally points in a super tiebreaker away from winning the meet in singles and I think as a team we were probably dwelling on that a little too much. We have to learn that once a match is over it’s over and that’s that.”

DiLeo and Young won the opening set at number three doubles 6-4 over the Linn-Mar tandem of Jack Gertsen and Jackson Eells.

The Linn-Mar team had a 5-4 lead in the second set and were one point away from forcing a tiebreaker following three consecutive double faults by DiLeo.

That is when the momentum swung.

Trailing love-40 after the double faults by DiLeo the West High team pulled even with three consecutive points, eventually winning the game on a backhand by Young.

“I was just trying to get my serve in,” DiLeo said. “I was just thinking in my head that we needed that game, I was so relieved to come back and win that game.”

With the second set even at 5-5 DiLeo and Young suddenly were playing with confidence and momentum.

“When we came back and won that it was a big boost,” Young said. “I was able to play loose.”
West High rattled off three consecutive games to win the second set 7-5 to clinch the match.

Young, a freshman, served the final game to complete the comeback.

 “They were very resilient,” Gross said. “The turning point was when Brad double faults three times and we were down love-40 and then to battle back and win that game. To have triple set point against you and to fight back that is a very tough situation to be in.”

West High 5, Linn-Mar 4

Singles

1. Luke VanDonslear (LM) def. Sam Shin 6-2, 6-4 

2. Ben Hediger (LM) def. Sasha Chackalackal 6-1, 0-6, 10-8

3. Jack Wenzel (ICW) def. Lucas Huffman 6-1, 6-4

4. Eli Young (ICW) def. Zach Glanz 6-0, 6-3

5. Brad DiLeo (ICW) def. Jack Gertsen 7-5, 6-2

6. Mukundan Kasturirangan (ICW) def. Jackson Eeells 6-0, 6-0

Doubles

1. Hediger/Huffman (LM) def. Shin/Chackalackal 6-4, 6-2

2. VanDonslear/Glanz (LM) def. Wenzel/Kasturirangan 6-3, 6-3

3. Young/DiLeo (ICW) def. Gertsen/Eells 6-4, 7-5