Warsaw Girls Tennis Team Wins Sectional
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - After the Warsaw Tigers girls tennis team upended rival Wawasee Friday to advance to Saturday's sectional final at Wawasee High School, conventional wisdom stated that the Tigers final match against Churubusco would be nothing more than a coronation.
Warsaw didn't disappoint as the Tigers cruised past the Eagles without dropping a set and in just a shade over an hour and a half in a 5-0 win for the team's fifth straight sectional championship.
The Tigers' two losses against Wawasee were in the No. 1 singles and doubles matches, which ended any chance of an individual tournament run by Warsaw's Ashley Harrison or the doubles tandem of Brandy Allen and Jillian Harrison.
"This is the first time in five years nobody advances individually and nobody was disappointed or upset," said Warsaw head coach Rick Orban.
The team concept flourished Saturday, as Warsaw players were vocal in support of their teammates.
No. 3 singles player Jessica Sadler was the first to finish for Warsaw. Sadler had Churubusco's Ajah Randall flustered all match by using a nice combination of drop shots and punishing forehands down the line. Sadler also had two consecutive aces in one game to go up 4-0 in the first set. Randall barely captured points in a 6-0, 6-0 loss.
"She is playing with a lot of confidence. When she's hitting it deep shot after shot she's confident and tough to beat," said Orban.
Despite some struggles, Warsaw's No. 2 singles Milagros Ridoutt lost just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win over the Eagles' Sarah Roebel. Ridoutt struggled early with some mishits, long returns and wasn't as effective with her first serve as she was against Wawasee's Brooke Tait Friday.
"I heard her so I knew she wasn't playing as well as she wanted to," said Orban of his extroverted No. 2 singles player.
For players as good as Riddout and Harrison are, sometimes matches against lesser competition breeds less-than-sharp play.
"When you're as good as Ashley and Millie playing with girls who give you no pace, it's easy to hit shots long," said Orban.
Riddout, who moved to the United States from Peru last year, spent her junior year on junior varsity.
"It's pretty exciting," said Riddout of her first sectional as a varsity player. "I'm loving it. It's a little disappointing our No. 1 singles and doubles didn't advance but now we're winning as a team."
For other players like Harrison, a Warsaw girls tennis sectional championship is old hat.
"This was a good way to win sectional," said Harrison, who has been on varsity since she was a freshman. "These are the sort of matches we'll have at regional so this is good experience. I think we'll be really strong as a team."
Harrison played quite loose and looked comfortable in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Rachelle Wilson. Wilson was unable to handle Harrison's returns. Harrison also freely attacked the net and finished points.
"Ashley swung through the ball today and played offense instead of defense," said Orban.
Gabby Schlitt and Alicia Swank continued to make their case as the best No. 2 doubles tandem in the state. The duo upended Churubusco's Angie Brent and Megan Ramsey 6-1, 6-0.
Schlitt and Swank have recovered nicely from a defeat in the Northern Lakes Conference championship to Plymouth. It was the duo's first loss of the season.
Since that match, Orban feels his team is playing its best tennis.
"That loss didn't hurt them. They're laughing again and not putting a lot of pressure on themselves. We played them at No. 1 doubles against Culver and that gave them a lot of confidence," said Orban.
For the second day in a row, the No. 1 doubles team of Brandy Allen and Jill Harrison were the last off the court. The Tiger duo was pushed to the brink in the first set then came back to dominant the second set for a 7-5, 6-2 win. Warsaw played at a frenetic pace early but overcame that to start stealing games from Churubusco.
After the Tigers finished off the Eagles, the mood was celebratory but understated.
This group, according to Orban, has bigger things in mind than a sectional.
"After Friday night on the bus ride home, these girls were so excited and saying they're going to win as a team. They've come together as a team and I'm confident that they can go far.
"This has been the most fun year I've had coaching. From the parents to the practices, everything has been enjoyable. It's a challenging group because they're so talented which also makes this team fun to coach." said Orban.
Warsaw, 11-2 as a team, moves on to the Northridge regional where it takes on Fairfield in the Tuesday's first semifinal. Elkhart Central and DeKalb meet in the other day's semifinal.
WARSAW 5, CHURUBUSCO 0
Singles
No. 1 - Ashley Harrison (War) def. Rachelle Wilson 6-1, 6-0
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Sarah Roebel 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 - Jessica Sadler (War) def. Ajah Randall 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 - Brandy Allen/Jill Harrison (War) def. Alisha Liggett/Brittany Grove 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 - Gabby Schlitt/Alicia Swank (War) def. Angie Brent/Megan Ramsey 6-1, 6-0 [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
SYRACUSE - After the Warsaw Tigers girls tennis team upended rival Wawasee Friday to advance to Saturday's sectional final at Wawasee High School, conventional wisdom stated that the Tigers final match against Churubusco would be nothing more than a coronation.
Warsaw didn't disappoint as the Tigers cruised past the Eagles without dropping a set and in just a shade over an hour and a half in a 5-0 win for the team's fifth straight sectional championship.
The Tigers' two losses against Wawasee were in the No. 1 singles and doubles matches, which ended any chance of an individual tournament run by Warsaw's Ashley Harrison or the doubles tandem of Brandy Allen and Jillian Harrison.
"This is the first time in five years nobody advances individually and nobody was disappointed or upset," said Warsaw head coach Rick Orban.
The team concept flourished Saturday, as Warsaw players were vocal in support of their teammates.
No. 3 singles player Jessica Sadler was the first to finish for Warsaw. Sadler had Churubusco's Ajah Randall flustered all match by using a nice combination of drop shots and punishing forehands down the line. Sadler also had two consecutive aces in one game to go up 4-0 in the first set. Randall barely captured points in a 6-0, 6-0 loss.
"She is playing with a lot of confidence. When she's hitting it deep shot after shot she's confident and tough to beat," said Orban.
Despite some struggles, Warsaw's No. 2 singles Milagros Ridoutt lost just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win over the Eagles' Sarah Roebel. Ridoutt struggled early with some mishits, long returns and wasn't as effective with her first serve as she was against Wawasee's Brooke Tait Friday.
"I heard her so I knew she wasn't playing as well as she wanted to," said Orban of his extroverted No. 2 singles player.
For players as good as Riddout and Harrison are, sometimes matches against lesser competition breeds less-than-sharp play.
"When you're as good as Ashley and Millie playing with girls who give you no pace, it's easy to hit shots long," said Orban.
Riddout, who moved to the United States from Peru last year, spent her junior year on junior varsity.
"It's pretty exciting," said Riddout of her first sectional as a varsity player. "I'm loving it. It's a little disappointing our No. 1 singles and doubles didn't advance but now we're winning as a team."
For other players like Harrison, a Warsaw girls tennis sectional championship is old hat.
"This was a good way to win sectional," said Harrison, who has been on varsity since she was a freshman. "These are the sort of matches we'll have at regional so this is good experience. I think we'll be really strong as a team."
Harrison played quite loose and looked comfortable in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Rachelle Wilson. Wilson was unable to handle Harrison's returns. Harrison also freely attacked the net and finished points.
"Ashley swung through the ball today and played offense instead of defense," said Orban.
Gabby Schlitt and Alicia Swank continued to make their case as the best No. 2 doubles tandem in the state. The duo upended Churubusco's Angie Brent and Megan Ramsey 6-1, 6-0.
Schlitt and Swank have recovered nicely from a defeat in the Northern Lakes Conference championship to Plymouth. It was the duo's first loss of the season.
Since that match, Orban feels his team is playing its best tennis.
"That loss didn't hurt them. They're laughing again and not putting a lot of pressure on themselves. We played them at No. 1 doubles against Culver and that gave them a lot of confidence," said Orban.
For the second day in a row, the No. 1 doubles team of Brandy Allen and Jill Harrison were the last off the court. The Tiger duo was pushed to the brink in the first set then came back to dominant the second set for a 7-5, 6-2 win. Warsaw played at a frenetic pace early but overcame that to start stealing games from Churubusco.
After the Tigers finished off the Eagles, the mood was celebratory but understated.
This group, according to Orban, has bigger things in mind than a sectional.
"After Friday night on the bus ride home, these girls were so excited and saying they're going to win as a team. They've come together as a team and I'm confident that they can go far.
"This has been the most fun year I've had coaching. From the parents to the practices, everything has been enjoyable. It's a challenging group because they're so talented which also makes this team fun to coach." said Orban.
Warsaw, 11-2 as a team, moves on to the Northridge regional where it takes on Fairfield in the Tuesday's first semifinal. Elkhart Central and DeKalb meet in the other day's semifinal.
WARSAW 5, CHURUBUSCO 0
Singles
No. 1 - Ashley Harrison (War) def. Rachelle Wilson 6-1, 6-0
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Sarah Roebel 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 - Jessica Sadler (War) def. Ajah Randall 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 - Brandy Allen/Jill Harrison (War) def. Alisha Liggett/Brittany Grove 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 - Gabby Schlitt/Alicia Swank (War) def. Angie Brent/Megan Ramsey 6-1, 6-0 [[In-content Ad]]