Warsaw Netters Survive Scare From Wawasee
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - What else would you expect from a meeting between Warsaw and Wawasee? The Tigers were flat in spots but rode the performances of Milagros Ridoutt and both doubles tandems to a 3-2 Wednesday afternoon at Wawasee High School in a classic meeting of storied rivals.
The No. 2 doubles team of Alicia Swank and Gabby Schlitt for Warsaw easily dispatched the Warriors' Amy Taylor and Brooke Tait by the count of 6-2, 6-0.
Wawasee evened up the match in the No. 1 singles slot when Carly Murphy upended the Tigers' Ashley Harrison, 6-0, 6-3.
"At. No. 1 singles, Ashley had a tough time. I don't know if it was the wind or the weather," said Warsaw head coach Rick Orban.
After Murphy dispatched Harrison without losing a game, the Warsaw senior battled back to win three games in a decisive second set.
"To get beat 6-0 in the first game and then come back to battle says a lot about Ashley," said Orban.
It was quite the present for Murphy, who celebrated her birthday Tuesday and was serenaded by her team after the match.
"She just stayed mentally tough tonight," said Wawasee head coach Ryan Perzanowski. "I was just really proud of the way she competed tonight."
Warsaw's Jill Harrison and Brandy Allen struggled early and dropped a set before pulling out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Erin Windle and Rachel Fleagle.
"My No. 1 doubles team has come out flat every first set they've played this season," said Orban. "But they just don't think they're going to lose. They do have to learn, though, that any time you give a team momentum it can come back to bite you."
Windle and Fleagle came out strong in the first set but couldn't hold off Harrison and Allen's charge. The Warsaw duo became more aggressive with their net play and effectively used overhand smashes.
"I knew they had potential to play like this," said Perzanowski of his No. 1 doubles squad and their play in the first set. "They just lost focus in the second and third set."
The most entertaining and well-played match of the night came at the No. 2 singles slot where Warsaw's Ridoutt faced off against Wawasee's Kendra Ganz.
Ridoutt was up and down at times but held on to grab a point for her team with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
Ridoutt, who last year moved to the United States from Peru, used her enthusiasm and some deadly topspin to earn the win.
"She's a dynamo," said Orban of his No. 2 singles player. "She plays the exact same game every match. Mentally she's very resilient."
Talent helps too.
"She has tremendous topspin on her ball and most players have never seen anything like that. So for her that's definitely an advantage."
After cruising to a 6-2 first-set win, Ridoutt went up 3-2 in the second set before quickly falling behind 4-3.
"That's Milagros. It doesn't affect her. She can be down 5-1 and she can win the set," said Orban.
Ridoutt was also able to temper her excitable on-court persona en route to a tough 7-5 win.
"She's one of the top girls in the state," said Perzanowski. "She's one of the best we've seen all season. I was just pleased to see how Kendra battled with her and was able to match her intensity."
The No. 3 singles match featuring Wawasee's Ali Kropf and Warsaw's Jessica Sadler saw a mini-controversy in the second set
Leading in the second set, Kropf contended Sadler returned a ball after it had hit the court twice. There was also a discrepancy on the score of the game at that point. The two players resolved the issue and decided to replay the point.
As the match dragged on, Kropf was able to gain the mental edge and pull out two consecutive set wins to give her team their second point of the afternoon.
"That (contested point) threw Jessica off balance," said Orban. "But I think she learned a lesson from it and will be more vocal about those sort of calls in the future."
Despite the loss, Perzanowski knows his team had another shot at the Tigers.
"They were looking forward to this match the most of any and it's disappointing they lost. But they know they'll get another shot at them," said Perzanowski.
Warsaw and Wawasee will see each other again in the NLC championships and may see each other in this year's sectional at Wawasee.
Warsaw pushes its record to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the NLC. The Tigers are in action Friday when they host Elkhart Memorial at 5 p.m. The Warriors, 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the NLC, travel to Northridge today at 5 p.m.
WARSAW 3, WAWASEE 2
Singles
No. 1 - Carly Murphy (Waw) def. Ashley Harrison 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Kendra Ganz 6-2, 7-5
No. 3 - Ali Kropf (Waw) def. Jessica Sadler 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Jill Harrison/Brandy Allen (War) def. Erin Windle/Rachel Fleagle 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 - Alicia Swank/Gabby Schlitt (War) def. Amy Taylor/Brooke Tait 6-2, 6-0
JV - Warsaw 6, Wawasee 1
Singles
No. 1 - Danielle DeGeeter (War) def. Madi Hike 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 - Anushri Gokhale (War) def. Brooke Kaiser 8-3
No. 3 - Karley Sasso (War) def. Caitlyn Conley 8-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Erin Coppes/Lauren Piper (War) def. Allison Thornburgh/Ashley Hardy 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
No. 2 - Sarah Whitehead/Laura Buitrago (War) def. McKenzie Stage/Karissa Auer 8-1
No. 3 - Anushri Gokhale/Karley Sasso (War) def. Abby Cox/Laura Capps 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]
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SYRACUSE - What else would you expect from a meeting between Warsaw and Wawasee? The Tigers were flat in spots but rode the performances of Milagros Ridoutt and both doubles tandems to a 3-2 Wednesday afternoon at Wawasee High School in a classic meeting of storied rivals.
The No. 2 doubles team of Alicia Swank and Gabby Schlitt for Warsaw easily dispatched the Warriors' Amy Taylor and Brooke Tait by the count of 6-2, 6-0.
Wawasee evened up the match in the No. 1 singles slot when Carly Murphy upended the Tigers' Ashley Harrison, 6-0, 6-3.
"At. No. 1 singles, Ashley had a tough time. I don't know if it was the wind or the weather," said Warsaw head coach Rick Orban.
After Murphy dispatched Harrison without losing a game, the Warsaw senior battled back to win three games in a decisive second set.
"To get beat 6-0 in the first game and then come back to battle says a lot about Ashley," said Orban.
It was quite the present for Murphy, who celebrated her birthday Tuesday and was serenaded by her team after the match.
"She just stayed mentally tough tonight," said Wawasee head coach Ryan Perzanowski. "I was just really proud of the way she competed tonight."
Warsaw's Jill Harrison and Brandy Allen struggled early and dropped a set before pulling out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Erin Windle and Rachel Fleagle.
"My No. 1 doubles team has come out flat every first set they've played this season," said Orban. "But they just don't think they're going to lose. They do have to learn, though, that any time you give a team momentum it can come back to bite you."
Windle and Fleagle came out strong in the first set but couldn't hold off Harrison and Allen's charge. The Warsaw duo became more aggressive with their net play and effectively used overhand smashes.
"I knew they had potential to play like this," said Perzanowski of his No. 1 doubles squad and their play in the first set. "They just lost focus in the second and third set."
The most entertaining and well-played match of the night came at the No. 2 singles slot where Warsaw's Ridoutt faced off against Wawasee's Kendra Ganz.
Ridoutt was up and down at times but held on to grab a point for her team with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
Ridoutt, who last year moved to the United States from Peru, used her enthusiasm and some deadly topspin to earn the win.
"She's a dynamo," said Orban of his No. 2 singles player. "She plays the exact same game every match. Mentally she's very resilient."
Talent helps too.
"She has tremendous topspin on her ball and most players have never seen anything like that. So for her that's definitely an advantage."
After cruising to a 6-2 first-set win, Ridoutt went up 3-2 in the second set before quickly falling behind 4-3.
"That's Milagros. It doesn't affect her. She can be down 5-1 and she can win the set," said Orban.
Ridoutt was also able to temper her excitable on-court persona en route to a tough 7-5 win.
"She's one of the top girls in the state," said Perzanowski. "She's one of the best we've seen all season. I was just pleased to see how Kendra battled with her and was able to match her intensity."
The No. 3 singles match featuring Wawasee's Ali Kropf and Warsaw's Jessica Sadler saw a mini-controversy in the second set
Leading in the second set, Kropf contended Sadler returned a ball after it had hit the court twice. There was also a discrepancy on the score of the game at that point. The two players resolved the issue and decided to replay the point.
As the match dragged on, Kropf was able to gain the mental edge and pull out two consecutive set wins to give her team their second point of the afternoon.
"That (contested point) threw Jessica off balance," said Orban. "But I think she learned a lesson from it and will be more vocal about those sort of calls in the future."
Despite the loss, Perzanowski knows his team had another shot at the Tigers.
"They were looking forward to this match the most of any and it's disappointing they lost. But they know they'll get another shot at them," said Perzanowski.
Warsaw and Wawasee will see each other again in the NLC championships and may see each other in this year's sectional at Wawasee.
Warsaw pushes its record to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the NLC. The Tigers are in action Friday when they host Elkhart Memorial at 5 p.m. The Warriors, 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the NLC, travel to Northridge today at 5 p.m.
WARSAW 3, WAWASEE 2
Singles
No. 1 - Carly Murphy (Waw) def. Ashley Harrison 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 - Milagros Ridoutt (War) def. Kendra Ganz 6-2, 7-5
No. 3 - Ali Kropf (Waw) def. Jessica Sadler 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Jill Harrison/Brandy Allen (War) def. Erin Windle/Rachel Fleagle 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 - Alicia Swank/Gabby Schlitt (War) def. Amy Taylor/Brooke Tait 6-2, 6-0
JV - Warsaw 6, Wawasee 1
Singles
No. 1 - Danielle DeGeeter (War) def. Madi Hike 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 - Anushri Gokhale (War) def. Brooke Kaiser 8-3
No. 3 - Karley Sasso (War) def. Caitlyn Conley 8-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Erin Coppes/Lauren Piper (War) def. Allison Thornburgh/Ashley Hardy 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
No. 2 - Sarah Whitehead/Laura Buitrago (War) def. McKenzie Stage/Karissa Auer 8-1
No. 3 - Anushri Gokhale/Karley Sasso (War) def. Abby Cox/Laura Capps 6-2 [[In-content Ad]]