Hammond second, Small third | Iowa Prep Sports

Cedar Rapids Washington?s Katie Hammond returns the ball during the Class 2A singles championship against Jessica King of Ames at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex in Iowa City on Friday, June 1, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG)

IOWA CITY ? Katie Hammond did something for the first time this year. She lost a tennis match.

Ames? Jessica King defeated the Cedar Rapids Washington senior, 6-3, 6-1, Friday in the Class 2A state singles championship match at Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.

King was the tournament?s top seed, the defending champion and now has a 90-2 career singles record. Hammond was the second seed and ended the season with a 22-1 record.

?She is a great player,? Hammond said. ?I didn?t lose that match, she flat out beat me. It?s not even that hard to lose to a player like that.?

Hammond battled for two days here because of a knee injury sustained the night before the first round. She knocked knees with a player in the Warriors? regional soccer game Wednesday night, which limited her mobility in the tennis tournament. Thursday?s matches were especially painful, she said.

?My mom was like ?do you really have to play soccer the night before tennis,? but I played and it all worked out even though I got hurt,? Hammond said.

She used an early morning trip to her physical therapist to prepare for Friday?s matches, which resulted in improved movement with her knee.

She advanced to the championship match after dominating Johnston?s freshman Liera Bender in a quick semifinal match, 6-1, 6-0. The youngster seemed overwhelmed by Hammond?s play.

?She likes to hit shots down the line, so I kept a lot of top spin on the ball so she couldn?t get as much power,? Hammond said.

Eve Small of Iowa City High/Regina hits the ball during a Class 2A semifinal against Jessica King of Ames at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex in Iowa City on Friday, June 1, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG)

In the third-place match, it was a power game between Bender and Iowa City High freshman Eve Small. Both hit the ball to each other with tenacity, but Small got the better of the two and placed third in her first tournament debut.

?To be honest I wasn?t really expecting this for myself, but what a surprise,? said Small, who lost to King in the semifinals.

The Little Hawk freshman said she?s try to improve on that third-place finish next season.

As for Hammond, her season is not quite over. She will be back at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex Saturday morning for the state team championships.

Washington was undefeated in the regular season and will take on Urbandale at 9 a.m.

?All these girls would rather play for their team first, and we are pumped for the team event,? Washington Coach Dan Reyner said.

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