Warsaw Girls Second In NLC Tennis Match
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
DUNLAP - For the first time in six years, Warsaw was bested by Plymouth in the Northern Lakes Conference Girls Tennis Championship. The Pilgrims won with a score of 16 to Warsaw's 14. Wawasee came in third with a score of 12.
Rain wrecked havoc on the event, which was originally scheduled for Saturday at Goshen Middle School. After a three-hour delay, all the matches that weren't completed were moved to Monday at Concord High School.
Warsaw picked up its only first-place finish with Milagros Ridoutt in No. 2 singles action. Ridoutt was able to upend Wawasee's Kendra Ganz 6-4, 6-2. It's the second time this season that Ridoutt has defeated Ganz.
Wawasee's Carly Murphy fell to Plymouth's Ali Nedlinger 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles championship Saturday. Murphy was able to sneak past Warsaw's Ashley Harrison to get to the championship round.
Harrison, who is the first division-I signee in the history of Warsaw's girls tennis program, has fallen to Murphy twice this year. Harrison has singed to continue her tennis career at Butler.
Warsaw head coach Rick Orban feels that Harrison has yet to play her best tennis against Murphy and her play Monday against Concord's Ellen Meek showed what type of player she is.
"Ashley truly showed a lot of guts today," said Orban of her play against Meek. "(Meek) did everything to get in her head to the point where we could have called point penalties. Ashley came back and proved she's a better player."
Harrison beat Meek in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
Orban believed that Saturday's lackadaisical play, not only by Harrison but the rest of the Tiger squad, came from that night's activities.
Warsaw Community High School held its prom Saturday night and that seemed to be the main priority for the Tigers.
"To be honest, they were distracted," said Orban. "The girls found out if they don't come out strong and focus they'll struggle."
The Tigers were undefeated in the first round but scuffled after the three-hour delay.
Warsaw's Jessica Sadler was up nine set points Saturday but lost to eventual champ Ali Kropf of Wawasee. Kropf defeated Plymouth's Jordin Youse 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Sadler returned Monday to take on Elkhart Memorial's Montana Roberts for the third-place match. Roberts didn't make the trip to Concord and forfeited the match to Sadler.
The most contentious match of the tournament came in the final of No. 2 doubles action.
Warsaw's Alicia Swank and Gabby Schlitt entered the final against Plymouth's Jessica Foust and Erin Dunning undefeated.
The alliterative and dynamic duo of Swank and Schlitt had beaten Foust and Dunning earlier in the year.
Swank and Schlitt overcame some early unforced errors in the first set and began to establish dominant first serves to win the first set 6-3.
The momentum shift started in the second set, as Plymouth began to force the Tigers into bad shots.
Warsaw was able to break the Pilgrims' serve to tie the match at 6-6, but couldn't capitalize as Plymouth won the second set 7-6(7-4).
The Tigers got off to a sluggish start in the third set and paid dearly for it with a 6-2 third-set loss.
While the loss was the first of the year for the duo, Orban thinks it was for the best.
"They have been putting so much pressure on themselves. We haven't had an undefeated doubles team at Warsaw in a long time and I think they were too concerned with that. Now the pressure is off and they can start a new streak," said Orban.
Warsaw wraps up its regular season today at Culver Academy with a 4:45 start. Wawasee ends its regular season today at Whitko with a 4:30 start. The Tigers and Warriors will then do battle Thursday when the two teams open up sectional play against each other at 4:30 p.m. at Wawasee High School.
NLC GIRLS TENNIS MATCH
Team scores - Plymouth 16, Warsaw 14, Wawasee 12, Concord 9.5, Northridge 8.5, Goshen 5.5, Elkhart Memorial 4.5, NorthWood 2
(Championship Matches)
Singles
No. 1 - Ali Nedlinger (P) def. Carly Murphy (Waw) 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Kendra Ganz (Waw) 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 - Ali Kropf (Waw) def. Jordin Youse (P) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 - Stephanie Welch/Heidi Kesier (P) def. Leena Miller/Katrina Miller (G) 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 -ÊJessica Foust/Erin Dunning (P) def. Alicia Swank/Gabby Schlitt (War) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]
DUNLAP - For the first time in six years, Warsaw was bested by Plymouth in the Northern Lakes Conference Girls Tennis Championship. The Pilgrims won with a score of 16 to Warsaw's 14. Wawasee came in third with a score of 12.
Rain wrecked havoc on the event, which was originally scheduled for Saturday at Goshen Middle School. After a three-hour delay, all the matches that weren't completed were moved to Monday at Concord High School.
Warsaw picked up its only first-place finish with Milagros Ridoutt in No. 2 singles action. Ridoutt was able to upend Wawasee's Kendra Ganz 6-4, 6-2. It's the second time this season that Ridoutt has defeated Ganz.
Wawasee's Carly Murphy fell to Plymouth's Ali Nedlinger 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles championship Saturday. Murphy was able to sneak past Warsaw's Ashley Harrison to get to the championship round.
Harrison, who is the first division-I signee in the history of Warsaw's girls tennis program, has fallen to Murphy twice this year. Harrison has singed to continue her tennis career at Butler.
Warsaw head coach Rick Orban feels that Harrison has yet to play her best tennis against Murphy and her play Monday against Concord's Ellen Meek showed what type of player she is.
"Ashley truly showed a lot of guts today," said Orban of her play against Meek. "(Meek) did everything to get in her head to the point where we could have called point penalties. Ashley came back and proved she's a better player."
Harrison beat Meek in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
Orban believed that Saturday's lackadaisical play, not only by Harrison but the rest of the Tiger squad, came from that night's activities.
Warsaw Community High School held its prom Saturday night and that seemed to be the main priority for the Tigers.
"To be honest, they were distracted," said Orban. "The girls found out if they don't come out strong and focus they'll struggle."
The Tigers were undefeated in the first round but scuffled after the three-hour delay.
Warsaw's Jessica Sadler was up nine set points Saturday but lost to eventual champ Ali Kropf of Wawasee. Kropf defeated Plymouth's Jordin Youse 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Sadler returned Monday to take on Elkhart Memorial's Montana Roberts for the third-place match. Roberts didn't make the trip to Concord and forfeited the match to Sadler.
The most contentious match of the tournament came in the final of No. 2 doubles action.
Warsaw's Alicia Swank and Gabby Schlitt entered the final against Plymouth's Jessica Foust and Erin Dunning undefeated.
The alliterative and dynamic duo of Swank and Schlitt had beaten Foust and Dunning earlier in the year.
Swank and Schlitt overcame some early unforced errors in the first set and began to establish dominant first serves to win the first set 6-3.
The momentum shift started in the second set, as Plymouth began to force the Tigers into bad shots.
Warsaw was able to break the Pilgrims' serve to tie the match at 6-6, but couldn't capitalize as Plymouth won the second set 7-6(7-4).
The Tigers got off to a sluggish start in the third set and paid dearly for it with a 6-2 third-set loss.
While the loss was the first of the year for the duo, Orban thinks it was for the best.
"They have been putting so much pressure on themselves. We haven't had an undefeated doubles team at Warsaw in a long time and I think they were too concerned with that. Now the pressure is off and they can start a new streak," said Orban.
Warsaw wraps up its regular season today at Culver Academy with a 4:45 start. Wawasee ends its regular season today at Whitko with a 4:30 start. The Tigers and Warriors will then do battle Thursday when the two teams open up sectional play against each other at 4:30 p.m. at Wawasee High School.
NLC GIRLS TENNIS MATCH
Team scores - Plymouth 16, Warsaw 14, Wawasee 12, Concord 9.5, Northridge 8.5, Goshen 5.5, Elkhart Memorial 4.5, NorthWood 2
(Championship Matches)
Singles
No. 1 - Ali Nedlinger (P) def. Carly Murphy (Waw) 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Kendra Ganz (Waw) 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 - Ali Kropf (Waw) def. Jordin Youse (P) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 - Stephanie Welch/Heidi Kesier (P) def. Leena Miller/Katrina Miller (G) 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 -ÊJessica Foust/Erin Dunning (P) def. Alicia Swank/Gabby Schlitt (War) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]