The Ballard woomen's tennis team battled through two razor-close matches this week, narrowly falling 6-5 to North Polk on Tuesday before bouncing back with a thrilling 6-5 win over Norwalk on Thursday.  The Bombers now sit at 2-2 on the season.

Final Score: North Polk 6, Ballard 5

In a heartbreaker, Ballard came up just one match short against a tough North Polk squad, with the final tally landing at 6-5 in favor of the Comets.

Final Score: Ballard 6, Norwalk 5

Two days later, the Bombers bounced back in a big way, notching a 6-5 win over Norwalk in a match full of momentum swings and hard-fought victories.

At No. 1 singles, Cakinberk continued her dominant play with a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win. Fellow teammates Kayley Gardner and Norah Mudd added straight-set victories at the No. 5 and 6 positions, respectively.

The doubles round became the difference-maker for Ballard. The team of Ava Reynolds and Alaina Severson held off their opponents in a thrilling super-tiebreak 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9) win at No. 2 doubles. Then, Samara Roush and Gardner staged a comeback of their own, rebounding from a 0-6 first set to win 6-4, 1-0 (10-5) at No. 3.

In one of the most exciting matches of the night, Emersyn Engstler and Harley Askelsen edged out a nail-biter at No. 4 doubles, winning 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-8) to help lift Ballard to the team victory.

Coach's Corner

"These girls have shown incredible fight this week," said Head Coach Jen Dovre. "We had some really close matches, and even in the loss to North Polk, I was proud of how we competed. To come back and win another close one against Norwalk shows a lot about this team's resilience."

Next Up

Ballard (2-2) will travel to Grinnell on Monday, April 21 for a 4:15 PM match, looking to build on the momentum of Thursday's win.