2025 2A Girls Season Preview

The 2025 season is here with the first practices getting started around the state last week and the first matches set to begin here on March 31st. Another edition of the high school tennis season is about to commence. In what is one of the most exciting times of the year, players, coaches and teams across the state are doing their best to get practices in before competition begins. Let's begin the final spring season for the girls, and go!

Key Dates:

March 17 - First Practices

May 12 - Individual regionals

May 16 - Team regionals begin

May 30-31 - Individual state tournament

June 2 - Team final four

June 10 - State Co-Ed Tournament

Storylines

Lexi Moen, one of the top players in 2A, has transferred to Waukee Northwest and will compete for the Wolves this year. NW was already a fairly big favorite for the team crown in 2025, this addition of Moen almost surely means a program first team title.
Cedar Falls' Mackenzie Sagers is out for the entire 2025 spring season due to an off-season surgery.
Rumors are point to Pleasant Valley's Kaj Kabongo being out for the season with an injury, as well as Jordan Ingram not possibly not returning for the Spartans.
The River Queens of Clinton return their entire lineup from last spring, and are looking to challenge the likes of Dowling and Valley for a strong finish with final four aspirations.
A bit of a coaching carousel in the MVC with two 2024 final four teams. Former CR Washington coach Nina Marquardt, is now the head coach at Iowa City West after coaching Katelynn Kock to a singles crown, as well as the Warriors to the 2023 team title. CR Washington Boys assistant and Coe College Assistant Coach Sam Koeppl, takes over the CR Washington girls team this 2025 campaign.
Ankeny's Kira Smith returns to Iowa High School tennis after her absence for two years where she was training at the Gomez Tennis Academy in Florida. Smith is an Iowa State commit for the class of 2025.

Team State Title Contenders

Waukee Northwest: All the stars may align for the Wolves when June rolls around. The team that got screwed last postseason being in the same region as Dowling, the eventual state champs. Waukee Northwest was potentially the second best team last year and missed out on the quarterfinals. No looking back now, as the Wolves are primed as heavy team championship favorites, where they return their entire lineup and add former Valley Tiger Lexi Moen to their arsenal. Will take a lot to slow down Coach Chad Jilek's squad this spring.

Dowling: The Maroons have won 3 of the last 4 team titles, and finished runner-up in 2023. This team has been considered the gold standard of the 2020s so far, as Coach Aaron Chalstrom has this team running like a well oiled machine. The departure of Ava Petersen at the top of their lineup sure hurts some, but 2024 doubles champions Grace Frye and Juju Mauro will look to pick up the slack along with the rest of the team and their strong depth they have had the past four years.

Valley: The Tigers biggest loss entering this season is Lexi Moen, who is at rival Waukee Northwest now. That being said, this team is a tough out, and will have a lot of depth to still be a top team in the state. Valley adds freshman Kaitlyn Nguyen who is a promising player that we may see at #1 early in the season for this team. They do not have big 'studs' at the top of the lineup like previous years in Moen and former singles champ Claire Gu, but the Tigers are going to be very difficult to beat in the lower spots. On the right day, this squad could return ot the championship match.

Clinton: The River Queens return their entire lineup, and led by multi-sport athlete and singles title hopeful Sescie Haan. Clinton reached the state quarterfinals in 2024, and had the tough task of playing a hot CR Washington team. Another year of experience for everyone on the team, this is eastern Iowa's best team to crack into the top 4 and disrupt the CIML schools in vying for a team crown. Clinton normally has a weaker schedule compared to most as normally it is just PV they battle with in the MAC, and they. do not typically expand out of their conference too much. Could be a factor at the end of May.

Other teams to watch: Johnston

Players to Watch

Lily Holland - CR Jefferson

Sescie Haan - Clinton

Grace Frye - Dowling

Lexi Moen - Waukee NW

Madelyn Jepsen - North Scott

London Taylor - Waukee NW

Kira Smith - Ankeny

Kaitlyn Nguyen - Valley

Three Bold Predictions

The singles state champ will be someone from eastern Iowa, and not the Des Moines area
Pleasant Valley will fall out of the top 10 without Kabonjo and if Ingram is not playing
The MVC will not have a team finish ranked top 5 at the end of the season

Team State Prediction

SF: Waukee NW def. Clinton

SF: Dowling def. Valley

F: Waukee NW def. Dowling

Singles State Champion Prediction

Lily Holland, CR Jefferson

Doubles State Champions Prediction

Grace Frye/Juju Mauro, Dowling