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Mukadam, Steele to state!
Fairfield duo takes 1-2 in girls tennis singles regionals
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD — For two years running, Fairfield’s Poojita Mukadam has been the odd one out when it comes to the state tennis tournament.
Mukadam has finished third in each of the last two seasons at the Class 1A Regional singles tournament at Fairfield Middle School, even playing past 10 p.m. one season, while playing for former school Maharishi.
On Monday, Mukadam finally broke through, earning a spot at the 2025 state meet, along with teammate Natalie Steele, putting two Trojans into the bracket at Waterloo.
“For two years, I was here until 10 p.m., with like five matches every year, and I still couldn’t cut the edge,” Mukadam said. “This year it is like, fantastic.”
Mukadam dominated singles play, going 4-0. She beat out Keokuk’s Sophia Rule 6-2 and 6-0 in the first round, before knocking off Notre Dame’s Kopella Klatt 6-0 and 6-0, and Knoxville’s Bridgette Liston, 6-0 and 6-0, to earn her spot.
On the other side of the bracket, there were much more competitive matches. Steele had to battle to even get out of the first round, beating Southeast Conference champion Nevaeh Logan of Keokuk by a medical forfeit late in the match.
Steele battled past Addy Dunkin of Knoxville 6-2, 6-2 in the second round, setting up a battle for a state spot with Maharishi’s Ria Altynska-Ross.
Altynska-Ross had dominated her first two matches, and she and Steele went down to the wire in both sets. Steele pulled out both, winning 7-5, 6-4.
“When I beat Nevaeh and then I beat the Knoxville girl, I just thought to myself, ‘you deserve this,” said Steele. “’You want this’.”
In the championship, it was all Fairfield. Mukadam defeated Steele 6-2, 6-2, to earn the better seed in the state singles tournament.
Altynska-Ross finished third in the singles tournament, one spot away from a state berth. Mt. Pleasant’s Bethany Drury made the quarterfinals, but fell to Altynska-Ross.
