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Quality journalism needs your support to thrive. Donate and keep the facts flowing. DECORAH — An Iowa high school tennis team playing past Memorial Day means one thing: they're doing well. Like, Final-Four well. Which is exactly where the Decorah girls are in the standings, as they prepare to face off next Monday, June 2, in Des Moines as part of the Girls Tennis Team Tournament Final Four. In order to earn their spot among the elite quartet, the girls faced off in the quarterfinals against a savvy Dike-New Hartford (D-NH) team—a team that had beaten Decorah last year. But this year, the outcome was different. According to senior Leah Holland, who plays in the No. 4 singles spot, beating D-NH was one of the brightest moments of the season so far. "I felt like a proud mom," Holland said. "Me too," chimed in Dylin Thompson, a junior who was also invigorated by the team victory. "I felt like a proud mom, too." D-NH was 18-2 going into the quarterfinals match, but Decorah won in convincing fashion — a 5-0 sweep. Playing past Memorial Day, with quarterfinal wins against good teams, is invigorating. But it also means a long season—physically demanding, to be sure—and that's what the team has been talking about since the outset. "Our team focus has been mental mindset," said Kaitlyn Bjork, a junior who plays in the No. 2 singles spot. "Control the controllables and let go of everything else." Mental mindset was a season focus for Coach Amanda Huinker, and the team has embraced it. "We focus on what's in front of us," Bjork said. And that constitutes everything: practice, reps, matches, supporting one another—and when physically exhausted, when you "hurt everywhere," according to senior Jaidyn Duvel, you muster up the mental fortitude to persist. And the girls have persisted all the way to this elite stage of the tournament. Perhaps in a friendly twist of fate, Decorah squares off in the semifinals against Pella High School, whose No. 1 singles player is Claire Smock, daughter of Tait Smock, a former Decorah standout tennis player. Tait's doubles partner in both high school (Decorah) and college (Central) was Brian Huinker — also a standout player and part of the state championship team of 1996. That year, Brian and Tait were runners-up in doubles. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and the former teammates' daughters will be playing one another in the top singles spot. Claire Smock and Olivia Huinker hold those top places for their respective teams. Also, prior to Team State next Monday (June 2), the Huinker sisters—Olivia and Grace—play in the Individual State Tournament this weekend, Friday (May 30) and Saturday (May 31), in Des Moines. They'll be competing in the doubles bracket. For both the team and individual tournaments, the girls will be ready to go. Bjork said, "We dismiss everything else and focus on those things we can control." And these days, it can be tough to focus with all that's going on for a high school student: grad parties, friends, summer jobs, swimming pools, vacations, detasseling — and whatever else happens in an Iowa summer. For now, however, all of those things can wait. All of those things take a back seat as the Decorah girls take care of business — mentally attuned to themselves, their teammates and their tournament goals. Stay informed, stay inspired! Newsletter sign up is free and join hundreds of free subscribers who rely on DecorahNews.com for trusted information and fresh perspectives.

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Decorah Girls Tennis Team Advances to State Final Four After Quarterfinal Sweep