Maharishi’s Mukadam takes seventh at state tennis

WATERLOO — What a season Maharishi Schools’ Ishita Mukadam has had.

The Pioneer was the lone area girls’ tennis player to punch a ticket to the state tournament this season.

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Between Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27 Mukadam capped off her season with a seventh-place finish at the Class 1A Girls Tennis State Tournament at Byrnes Park Tennis Center in Waterloo.

It was a tough draw for Mukadam in the opening round.

In her first competition of the tournament, she was matched up with No. 1 seeded Sophia Fain of Columbus Catholic.

Mukadam was defeated by a score of 6-1 and 6-0 in the two set bout.

Despite the loss, she did not wavier.

In her next two matches, she dominated.

Mukadam followed up with a 6-4 and 6-1 victory over Lewis Central’s Lanee Olsen to move to the consolation quarterfinal.

She kept up the pace in her next match as well, downing Camanche’s Elise Davison 6-2 and 6-3 to move to the consolation semifinal and a shot at the fifth-place match.

Mukadam’s opponent was Kenna Mongan of Cherokee Washington.

Mukadam gave it all she had, but Mongan narrowly took both sets, 7-6 (5-0) and 7-5.

With the loss, Mukadam was placed into the seventh-place final and she showed out.

In her final match of the season and for seventh overall in Class 1A, Mukadam topped Ballard’s Kaitlyn Zugay 6-4 in each of the two sets.

Mukadam finished her state tournament with a 3-2 record.