Central gets women’s tennis sweep in Ferrell debut

Central College

GALESBURG, ILL. — It was a smooth start for new coach Ryun Ferrell and the Central College women’s tennis team Saturday.

The Dutch the former Drake and Northern Illinois mentor his first NCAA Division III victories as they were 9-0 winners at Monmouth (Ill.) and at Knox (Ill.).

“We took care of business,” Ferrell said.

Central got better as the day progressed.

“You could tell there were some first-meet jitters but by the time we got done, they were playing very relaxed,” Ferrell said. “They played smart. We talked a lot about that all week. I was very pleased overall.”

The Dutch won every match in straight sets as Ferrell used 10 players, including a pair of freshmen. Ashley Maley (Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock) rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles against Knox while Kari Grindberg (Fort Dodge) coasted 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6 against Monmouth (Ill.).

“This team has a huge upside,” Ferrell said. “We have a lot of kids who can play the game. We’ve got some very athletic players.”

Central was originally slated to make its home-season debut next Saturday, against Dubuque and Loras, but Ferrell announced those matches will now be played in Dubuque Sept. 27. The Dutch will instead open the home slate Friday, Sept. 12, against perennial Iowa Conference contender Coe College at 3:30 p.m. at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex courts.

The Dutch won’t return to practice until Tuesday after enduring an intense preseason.

“They get two days off,” Ferrell said. “They need a break.”