One Pella girls tennis player has a chance at a state championship and her teammates have guaranteed top eight spots at the 2024 Class 1A singles and doubles tournament in Iowa City.
After day one, Emily Blom is in the singles bracket semifinals, becoming the school’s fourth ever three-time placewinner. She defeated Elise Davison of Camanche 6-1, 6-1, and Ishita Mukadam of Maharishi 6-0, 6-0, to make it to the final four. The No. 3 seeded Blom will take on two-seed Kate Holton of Columbus Catholic for the chance to play for a state title.
In the doubles brackets, both Dutch duos won their first, including Alloree Else/Lily Van Dusseldorp over Culee Smith/Abby Warning from Davis County 6-2, 6-1, and Pella’s Claire Smock/ Bryn Higginbotham knocked off a Decorah’s Olivia Huinker/Evon Leitz. The special part of that second match was that Claire’s dad Tait and Olivia’s dad Brian won the state meet together at Decorah in 1996 (and were state doubles runners-up that season), and both went on to have great success at Central College after.
However, both fell to top seeded teams, but bounced back in consolation, with Else/Van Dusseldorp knocking off Straus and Wycoff of Spirit Lake 6-4, 6-3, and Smock/Higginbotham defeating Ballard’s Askelsen/Inglett 6-4, 6-3.
Both pairs can play for fifth if they win, or seventh if they lose — including against each other if both have the same result.