Warriors Too Much For Squires Again
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
When Wawasee and Manchester met each other in a regular season tennis match just nine days ago, neither team realized that they would be squaring off against each other again so soon.
But because of an unkind draw that pitted two of the top teams in the sectional against each other, the Warriors and Squires battled in the first match of the sectional Thursday.
On May 13, Wawasee jumped out on top of Manchester early in beating the Squires 5-0. The Warriors won 10 out of 11 sets that day.
Thursday wasn't much different. Manchester started stronger than the first time and the Warriors never really controlled the match early the way they did just over a week earlier. But Wawasee righted itself quickly and swept Manchester again 5-0, winning 10 of 12 sets this time.
Manchester actually came into the match with the best record in the sectional, while Wawasee had the second-best. However, two of Manchester's four losses ended up coming from the Warriors.
One of the most anticipated matches of the evening came at No. 2 doubles, where Manchester's Katrina Runkel and Carmen DeFusco went 9-1 on the year and Wawasee's Steph Shivers and Kim Troup finished the season 17-2.
Shivers and Troup jumped ahead early, winning the first set 6-2. However, Runkel and DeFusco fought back for a 6-4 win in the second set before succumbing to Wawasee's tandem in set No. 3 6-2.
"(Runkel's and DeFusco's) only loss of the season came to us," Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler said. "They have an unorthodoxed style of play, but we knew what to expect."
The only other match that went three sets was at No. 3 singles where Wawasee's Shanda Bucher knocked off Sarah Gilbert 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2 in a match that very much mirrored the match from the first time they squared off. That time Gilbert won the first set again before falling 6-2, 6-0 in the last two sets.
Wawasee's other wins came from Mandy Perzanowski at No. 1 singles, Kara Mathew at No. 2 singles and Kardia Senkspiel and Laura Lundin at No. 1 doubles.
Perzanowski started slowly, winning the first set 7-5, before dominating set two for a 6-0 win.
Mathew's match went much like Perzanowski's as she won the first set 6-4 before taking set two 6-0.
Senkspiel and Lundin won by the same scores as Mathew, defeating Rachel Almond and Amy Manges 6-4, 6-0.
"We definitely believe we can win," Mishler said. "But they realize Warsaw has a strong tradition, and it's going to take everything they have."
Manchester ends the season with a record of 8-4, while Wawasee improved to 11-4. The Warriors will meet Valley at Warsaw Saturday at 10 a.m. in the sectional semifinals, while Warsaw will play Whitko at the same time. The championship will take place Saturday at 2 p.m.
WAWASEE 5, MANCHESTER 0
Singles
No. 1 - Mandy Perzanowski (Wawasee) def. Keziah DeFusco 7-5, 6-0
No. 2 - Kara Mathew (Wawasee) def. Kerri Metzger 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 - Shanda Bucher (Wawasee) def. Sarah Gilbert 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 - Kardia Senkspiel and Laura Lundin (Wawasee) def. Rachel Almond and Amy Manges 6-4, 6-0
No. 2 - Steph Shivers and Kim Troup (Wawasee) def. Katrina Runkel and Carmen DeFusco 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
When Wawasee and Manchester met each other in a regular season tennis match just nine days ago, neither team realized that they would be squaring off against each other again so soon.
But because of an unkind draw that pitted two of the top teams in the sectional against each other, the Warriors and Squires battled in the first match of the sectional Thursday.
On May 13, Wawasee jumped out on top of Manchester early in beating the Squires 5-0. The Warriors won 10 out of 11 sets that day.
Thursday wasn't much different. Manchester started stronger than the first time and the Warriors never really controlled the match early the way they did just over a week earlier. But Wawasee righted itself quickly and swept Manchester again 5-0, winning 10 of 12 sets this time.
Manchester actually came into the match with the best record in the sectional, while Wawasee had the second-best. However, two of Manchester's four losses ended up coming from the Warriors.
One of the most anticipated matches of the evening came at No. 2 doubles, where Manchester's Katrina Runkel and Carmen DeFusco went 9-1 on the year and Wawasee's Steph Shivers and Kim Troup finished the season 17-2.
Shivers and Troup jumped ahead early, winning the first set 6-2. However, Runkel and DeFusco fought back for a 6-4 win in the second set before succumbing to Wawasee's tandem in set No. 3 6-2.
"(Runkel's and DeFusco's) only loss of the season came to us," Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler said. "They have an unorthodoxed style of play, but we knew what to expect."
The only other match that went three sets was at No. 3 singles where Wawasee's Shanda Bucher knocked off Sarah Gilbert 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2 in a match that very much mirrored the match from the first time they squared off. That time Gilbert won the first set again before falling 6-2, 6-0 in the last two sets.
Wawasee's other wins came from Mandy Perzanowski at No. 1 singles, Kara Mathew at No. 2 singles and Kardia Senkspiel and Laura Lundin at No. 1 doubles.
Perzanowski started slowly, winning the first set 7-5, before dominating set two for a 6-0 win.
Mathew's match went much like Perzanowski's as she won the first set 6-4 before taking set two 6-0.
Senkspiel and Lundin won by the same scores as Mathew, defeating Rachel Almond and Amy Manges 6-4, 6-0.
"We definitely believe we can win," Mishler said. "But they realize Warsaw has a strong tradition, and it's going to take everything they have."
Manchester ends the season with a record of 8-4, while Wawasee improved to 11-4. The Warriors will meet Valley at Warsaw Saturday at 10 a.m. in the sectional semifinals, while Warsaw will play Whitko at the same time. The championship will take place Saturday at 2 p.m.
WAWASEE 5, MANCHESTER 0
Singles
No. 1 - Mandy Perzanowski (Wawasee) def. Keziah DeFusco 7-5, 6-0
No. 2 - Kara Mathew (Wawasee) def. Kerri Metzger 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 - Shanda Bucher (Wawasee) def. Sarah Gilbert 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 - Kardia Senkspiel and Laura Lundin (Wawasee) def. Rachel Almond and Amy Manges 6-4, 6-0
No. 2 - Steph Shivers and Kim Troup (Wawasee) def. Katrina Runkel and Carmen DeFusco 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]