Coe tennis star Noah Sprinkel had his serve measured at 121 mph on a radar gun last fall, but it's probably even faster than that.

"It wasn't my greatest serving day, so I don't know," he said Saturday, wondering how fast it really is. "I think it would be fun to see. Maybe some day."

It would be fun for Sprinkel, but no fun for opponents.

Sprinkel used his rocket serves, powerful ground strokes and deft touch Saturday to help Coe capture the Iowa Conference tennis tournament and earn the school's 14th trip to the NCAA Division III meet.

The Kohawks blanked Central College, 7-0, in the semifinals and defeated Luther, 5-2, in the championship round.

Sprinkel blitzed Ramesh Karki of Luther, 6-1, 6-1, at No.1 singles in the finals with an impressive assortment of shots on a windy day at the Clarke Racquet Center.

He's a lanky 6-foot-3 junior from Minneapolis with a whip-like serve.

"He does have a whip," agreed Coach Eric Rodgers, who collected his 19th Iowa Conference title during his 25 years at Coe. "He could probably go about 100 with a baseball if he had to, right?

"Noah is one of the all-time great players we've had here," said Rodgers.

Sprinkel qualified for the NCAA singles tournament last year as a sophomore, making him the fifth Coe player in school history to make it.

Rodgers thinks Sprinkel has a chance to do something special at the national meet before he's through.

"I'm not saying Noah's the best we've ever had, but I'm saying he has the best chance to win the national championship," the coach remarked. "He has incredible speed. And you saw the offense, the whip.

"Today he showed off the drop-shot and some underspin to go along with the power, kind of like a change-of-pace in baseball. He did a great job."

Sprinkel lost in the first round at the national singles tournament last year. He was happy to learn what Rodgers said about him having a shot at the national title.

"I hadn't heard that, but that means a lot coming from Rodgers, because he'll keep it to himself a little bit," said Sprinkel. "So those are high words.

"I know there have been a lot of great Coe players in the past. I'm just trying to carry on that tradition."

Sprinkel said last year's national tournament went OK, but not great. "I got a little taste of it and now I'm hungry for more."

Coe took a 2-1 lead in the doubles competition Saturday against Luther. Sprinkel and Riley Galbraith combined for an 8-5 victory at No. 1 doubles, and Sean Stokstad and Zack Decker posted an 8-6 verdict at No. 3 doubles.

The Kohawks needed three more points in singles competition and got two of them quickly with Sprinkel at No. 1 and Galbraith, from Cedar Rapids, at No. 2.

The match ended when Michael Janssen posted a 6-2, 7-5 victory at No. 6 singles for the decisive fifth and final point.

The entire team advances to the postseason tournament. The Kohawks have a 24-7 overall record and are ranked No. 8 in their region.

"We're a good team," said Rodgers. "We're not a top-10 team (nationally), but we're good enough that we can be in every match."

Sprinkel was happy with the way he played in the finals.

"I actually played very well," he remarked. "I was very focused and knew what I had to do to help the team."

Sprinkel grew up playing a variety of sports. He began to take tennis seriously when he was a teen-ager and capped his prep career by placing second in the Minnesota state meet in doubles with his younger brother.

"I just really love the game," he said. "That's really what kept me going.I love the training, I love the competition, I love being with the guys."

Coe 5, Luther 2

Singles

1. Noah Sprinkel (Coe) def. Ramesh Karki, 6-1, 6-1

2. Riley Galbraith (Coe) def. Torstein Jystad, 6-1, 6-2

3. Kyle Appel (Luther) def. Ryan Hickman, 6-1, 6-2

4. Sean Stokstad (Coe) vs. Matt Bellio, 6-1, 5-5, unfinished

5. James Ayer (Luther) vs. Alex Bernt, 6-3, 3-2, unfinished

6. Michael Janssen (Coe) def. Quinn Foley, 6-2, 7-5

Doubles

1. Sprinkel/Galbraith (Coe) def. Foley/Karki, 8-5

2. Ayer/Appel (Luther) def. Hickman/Janssen, 9-7

3. Stokstad/Zack Decker (Coe) def. Sam Cychosz/Matt Bellio, 8-6