With Regional Championship, Warsaw Moves Closer To Goal
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
MIDDLEBURY -ÊAfter a loss to Penn in last year's semistate, the Warsaw tennis team set a goal for this season.
"The girls set a goal to get to semistate and to win semistate," said Warsaw coach Rick Orban. "So far they have not wavered from it. They have been very focused on their goal all year, and they will not be satisfied if they don't win semistate."
The Tiger squad moved one step closer to that goal Wednesday evening by defeating Concord 4-1 in the final round of the Northridge Regional.
"(Tuesday) night on the way home, I told the girls they would need to bring their A game against Concord," said Orban. "Honestly, I was nervous coming into this match. I have watched Concord the last three weeks, and they have really made a turnaround. Concord is a very good, well-coached team."
In the first match to finish, Warsaw's No. 2 singles player Ashley Harrison faced off against Concord's Ellen Meek. Meek won the first two games of the first set, but Harrison made a comeback. The Tiger sophomore dominated the rest of the match, winning 12 straight games to pick up a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
"Ashley was the first one off the court, and that lifted the team," said Orban. "When she walked off the court, the whole attitude of the match changed. The other girls saw her leaving the court, and it really got them going."
In the next match to finish, Warsaw junior Kaitlyn Macdonald topped Concord's Katherine Hinkle 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match.
"What can you say about Kaitlyn?" said Orban. "She is a fierce competitor, and she played very well tonight."
In the No. 1 singles match Tiger junior Jessica Davis faced off against Laela Thomassebi. After winning a close first set 6-4, Davis kicked into gear and won the second set 6-1.
"Jessica Davis is playing her best tennis of the year right now," said Orban.
The two closest matches of the evening came in the doubles slots.
In the No. 1 doubles contest, Concord's Katie Martin and Katie Warner teamed up to defeat Warsaw's Kristi Haddad and Jessica Hollar 6-4 in the first set of the match.
However, Haddad and Hollar fought back to win the second set 7-6 on a 6-3 tiebreaking match. The Tiger pair broke the 1-all tie by winning the third set 6-3.
"Our No. 1 doubles team really showed guts," said Orban. "They beat Concord once before this season, and Concord beat them once earlier in the year. I gave our girls a challenge tonight, and boy did they respond."
Warsaw's only loss of the evening came at the No. 2 doubles spot. Concord's duo of Betsy Gross and Christine Malzfeldt paired up against Tracy Yoder and Jillian Harrison. The Concord pair won the first set 6-3 before the Tigers kicked into gear to win the second set 7-6 on a 6-4 tiebreaker.
In the deciding third set, Concord edged Warsaw 6-4 to get the win.
"In a bizarre way, the loss was probably a good thing," said Orban. "It takes a little pressure off them. Up to this point, they had only lost one match all season, so this takes a little of the heat off them."
The win earned the Tigers a spot in the Portage Regional Saturday morning. The No. 9 Warsaw squad will face off against No. 16 Penn at 9 a.m.
Northridge Regional
WARSAW 4, CONCORD 1
Singles
No. 1 -ÊJessica Davis (Warsaw) def. Laela Thomassebi 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊAshley Harrison (Warsaw) def. Ellen Meek 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 -ÊKaitlyn Macdonald (Warsaw) def. Katherine Hinkle 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊKristi Haddad/Jessica Hollar (Warsaw) def. Katie Martin/Katie Warner 4-6, 7-6(6-3), 6-3
No. 2 -ÊBetsy Gross/Christine Malzfeldt (Concord) def. Tracy Yoder/Jillian Harrison 6-3, 6-7(6-4), 6-4 [[In-content Ad]]
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MIDDLEBURY -ÊAfter a loss to Penn in last year's semistate, the Warsaw tennis team set a goal for this season.
"The girls set a goal to get to semistate and to win semistate," said Warsaw coach Rick Orban. "So far they have not wavered from it. They have been very focused on their goal all year, and they will not be satisfied if they don't win semistate."
The Tiger squad moved one step closer to that goal Wednesday evening by defeating Concord 4-1 in the final round of the Northridge Regional.
"(Tuesday) night on the way home, I told the girls they would need to bring their A game against Concord," said Orban. "Honestly, I was nervous coming into this match. I have watched Concord the last three weeks, and they have really made a turnaround. Concord is a very good, well-coached team."
In the first match to finish, Warsaw's No. 2 singles player Ashley Harrison faced off against Concord's Ellen Meek. Meek won the first two games of the first set, but Harrison made a comeback. The Tiger sophomore dominated the rest of the match, winning 12 straight games to pick up a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
"Ashley was the first one off the court, and that lifted the team," said Orban. "When she walked off the court, the whole attitude of the match changed. The other girls saw her leaving the court, and it really got them going."
In the next match to finish, Warsaw junior Kaitlyn Macdonald topped Concord's Katherine Hinkle 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match.
"What can you say about Kaitlyn?" said Orban. "She is a fierce competitor, and she played very well tonight."
In the No. 1 singles match Tiger junior Jessica Davis faced off against Laela Thomassebi. After winning a close first set 6-4, Davis kicked into gear and won the second set 6-1.
"Jessica Davis is playing her best tennis of the year right now," said Orban.
The two closest matches of the evening came in the doubles slots.
In the No. 1 doubles contest, Concord's Katie Martin and Katie Warner teamed up to defeat Warsaw's Kristi Haddad and Jessica Hollar 6-4 in the first set of the match.
However, Haddad and Hollar fought back to win the second set 7-6 on a 6-3 tiebreaking match. The Tiger pair broke the 1-all tie by winning the third set 6-3.
"Our No. 1 doubles team really showed guts," said Orban. "They beat Concord once before this season, and Concord beat them once earlier in the year. I gave our girls a challenge tonight, and boy did they respond."
Warsaw's only loss of the evening came at the No. 2 doubles spot. Concord's duo of Betsy Gross and Christine Malzfeldt paired up against Tracy Yoder and Jillian Harrison. The Concord pair won the first set 6-3 before the Tigers kicked into gear to win the second set 7-6 on a 6-4 tiebreaker.
In the deciding third set, Concord edged Warsaw 6-4 to get the win.
"In a bizarre way, the loss was probably a good thing," said Orban. "It takes a little pressure off them. Up to this point, they had only lost one match all season, so this takes a little of the heat off them."
The win earned the Tigers a spot in the Portage Regional Saturday morning. The No. 9 Warsaw squad will face off against No. 16 Penn at 9 a.m.
Northridge Regional
WARSAW 4, CONCORD 1
Singles
No. 1 -ÊJessica Davis (Warsaw) def. Laela Thomassebi 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊAshley Harrison (Warsaw) def. Ellen Meek 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 -ÊKaitlyn Macdonald (Warsaw) def. Katherine Hinkle 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊKristi Haddad/Jessica Hollar (Warsaw) def. Katie Martin/Katie Warner 4-6, 7-6(6-3), 6-3
No. 2 -ÊBetsy Gross/Christine Malzfeldt (Concord) def. Tracy Yoder/Jillian Harrison 6-3, 6-7(6-4), 6-4 [[In-content Ad]]