Staying alive is the name of the game for several local tennis players competing in the Iowa high school girls state singles and doubles championships. In the singles tournament, Spirit Lake-Okoboji freshman KJ Veldman lost her opening match to drop into the consolation bracket. Veldman then defeated Kylar McCann from Clarke in straight sets and Anne Nora of Waterloo Columbus in a tiebreaker to reach day two. She will open play Friday against Jalyn Deering from Camanche High for the right to play for fifth place. That same consolation semifinal in doubles pits two tandems from the Iowa Great Lakes. Spirit Lake-Okoboji’s top double team of Ally Gerking and Aubry Kolegraff won their first round match, dropping just three games. They would lose for the first time all season in round two, falling in straight sets to the top duo from Columbus. Gerking and Kolegraff rebounded to win their first consolation match over another doubles pair from Columbus. Friday they will face a familiar foe in Estherville Lincoln Central’s Kaylene Vos and Erin Olson. They reached the consolation semi’s by winning back-to-back matches after dropping their opener.
