Plymouth Flips Script On Lady Tigers
May 24, 2018 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
The Plymouth Lady Pilgrims, however, won the war.
In the girls tennis regional final at Culver Academies, Plymouth beat the Lady Tigers 4-1, avenging 3-2 losses to Warsaw in the previous two meetings of the Northern Lakes Conference rivals.
Knight beat Plymouth sophomore Kyla Heckaman 7-5, 6-2 at No. 2 singles – the final match to finish – for Warsaw’s only win.
“I can’t say enough about Ella,” said Warsaw coach Rick Orban, whose team was looking for a third straight regional title.
“She knew we had already lost the match. She really had nothing to gain from it, and she wanted to dominate that second set and win in straight sets. I’m extremely proud of her for that.”
The Lady Tigers finished the season with a record of 15-4, while Plymouth improved to 18-5 and will play 10th-ranked South Bend St. Joe (18-3) in Saturday’s semistate at Culver Academies.
Top-ranked Carmel (14-1) and No. 7 Munster (18-0) will also square off in Culver Saturday.
When Plymouth and Warsaw met in the NLC opener in April, the Lady Tigers won all three singles matches, while the Lady Pilgrims won on both doubles courts.
It was the first time Warsaw beat Plymouth in the regular season in recent memory, though the Lady Tigers had found a way to beat the Lady Pilgrims in postseason play en route to their back-to-back regional titles.
On Wednesday, Plymouth flipped the script.
“Warsaw has such a great program, and they’ve had such a great run, especially with their senior class they have now,” said Plymouth coach Brad Haeck.
“It’s been a battle every time we’ve played the last four years. You know you’re getting a battle every time you compete against Warsaw. We expected that, and we just wanted seven girls to walk out on the court with that same mindset, and whatever happened, happened. I thought we played great all the way across the board and competed well.”
Plymouth scored its first two team points on the doubles courts.
Seniors McKenzie Scheetz and Leah Smith beat Taylor Shoaf and Rachel Boyle 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.
At No. 2 doubles, Plymouth junior Mary Beatty and sophomore teammate Audie Plothow topped Warsaw juniors Rachel Yeager and Raegan Merchant 6-3, 6-1.
Plymouth scored the decisive team point at No. 3 singles, as freshman Miranda German beat Warsaw sophomore Alyssa Zellers 6-4, 6-1.
In last year’s regional final, then-freshman Zellers notched the decisive win with a victory at No. 3 singles.
In the No. 1 singles match Wednesday, Plymouth senior Cortni Cook beat Warsaw senior Liza Lewis 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
“Plymouth always comes ready to play,” said Orban. “I talked to the girls about that, and honestly, we just didn’t.
“Our doubles were flat. Liza, as great a career as she’s had, she lost that first set and the nerves took over. Alyssa, a sophomore, nerves got to her tonight.”
While the rivalry between Plymouth and Warsaw runs deep, so does respect.
Following the trophy presentation, Orban congratulated the Lady Pilgrims and wished them good luck in Saturday’s semistate.
Likewise, Haeck spoke to the Lady Tigers and congratulated them on a great season.
“If you lose to a better team, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, and tonight Plymouth was that better team,” said Orban. “I’ll tell the girls that, and I mean it in all sincerity.
“If you take a look, to win three of these regionals in a row, I?think the last team that did it was Culver (Academies), and then it goes back a long time. My first five years, we won the regional straight, and I don’t think that’s been done since.
“This regional is tough. You’ve got Plymouth, you’ve got Culver (Academies), you’ve got us ... and it’s every year.”
The Lady Tigers, who were 6-1 in NLC?play this year, graduate just two players that competed Wednesday – Lewis and Knight.
“That’s a tough one. Liza is gonna be tough to replace. Ella will be almost impossible to replace,” said Orban.
“There’s some young kids, they’ve been here, they’ve been watching, and I bring them here for a reason. We’ve already talked about stepping up their game this summer, or in the winter, playing some tournaments, and getting mentally tougher.”
PLYMOUTH 4, WARSAW 1
Singles: No. 1 – Cortni Cook (P) def. Liza Lewis 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; No. 2 – Ella Knight (W) def. Kyla Heckaman 7-5, 6-2; No. 3 – Miranda German (P) def. Alyssa Zellers 6-4, 6-1
Doubles: No. 1 – McKenzie Scheetz & Leah Smith (P) def. Taylor Shoaf & Rachel Boyle 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 – Mary Beatty & Audie Plothow def. Rachel Yeager & Raegan Merchant 6-3, 6-1
Records: Warsaw 15-4, Plymouth 18-5
The Plymouth Lady Pilgrims, however, won the war.
In the girls tennis regional final at Culver Academies, Plymouth beat the Lady Tigers 4-1, avenging 3-2 losses to Warsaw in the previous two meetings of the Northern Lakes Conference rivals.
Knight beat Plymouth sophomore Kyla Heckaman 7-5, 6-2 at No. 2 singles – the final match to finish – for Warsaw’s only win.
“I can’t say enough about Ella,” said Warsaw coach Rick Orban, whose team was looking for a third straight regional title.
“She knew we had already lost the match. She really had nothing to gain from it, and she wanted to dominate that second set and win in straight sets. I’m extremely proud of her for that.”
The Lady Tigers finished the season with a record of 15-4, while Plymouth improved to 18-5 and will play 10th-ranked South Bend St. Joe (18-3) in Saturday’s semistate at Culver Academies.
Top-ranked Carmel (14-1) and No. 7 Munster (18-0) will also square off in Culver Saturday.
When Plymouth and Warsaw met in the NLC opener in April, the Lady Tigers won all three singles matches, while the Lady Pilgrims won on both doubles courts.
It was the first time Warsaw beat Plymouth in the regular season in recent memory, though the Lady Tigers had found a way to beat the Lady Pilgrims in postseason play en route to their back-to-back regional titles.
On Wednesday, Plymouth flipped the script.
“Warsaw has such a great program, and they’ve had such a great run, especially with their senior class they have now,” said Plymouth coach Brad Haeck.
“It’s been a battle every time we’ve played the last four years. You know you’re getting a battle every time you compete against Warsaw. We expected that, and we just wanted seven girls to walk out on the court with that same mindset, and whatever happened, happened. I thought we played great all the way across the board and competed well.”
Plymouth scored its first two team points on the doubles courts.
Seniors McKenzie Scheetz and Leah Smith beat Taylor Shoaf and Rachel Boyle 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.
At No. 2 doubles, Plymouth junior Mary Beatty and sophomore teammate Audie Plothow topped Warsaw juniors Rachel Yeager and Raegan Merchant 6-3, 6-1.
Plymouth scored the decisive team point at No. 3 singles, as freshman Miranda German beat Warsaw sophomore Alyssa Zellers 6-4, 6-1.
In last year’s regional final, then-freshman Zellers notched the decisive win with a victory at No. 3 singles.
In the No. 1 singles match Wednesday, Plymouth senior Cortni Cook beat Warsaw senior Liza Lewis 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
“Plymouth always comes ready to play,” said Orban. “I talked to the girls about that, and honestly, we just didn’t.
“Our doubles were flat. Liza, as great a career as she’s had, she lost that first set and the nerves took over. Alyssa, a sophomore, nerves got to her tonight.”
While the rivalry between Plymouth and Warsaw runs deep, so does respect.
Following the trophy presentation, Orban congratulated the Lady Pilgrims and wished them good luck in Saturday’s semistate.
Likewise, Haeck spoke to the Lady Tigers and congratulated them on a great season.
“If you lose to a better team, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, and tonight Plymouth was that better team,” said Orban. “I’ll tell the girls that, and I mean it in all sincerity.
“If you take a look, to win three of these regionals in a row, I?think the last team that did it was Culver (Academies), and then it goes back a long time. My first five years, we won the regional straight, and I don’t think that’s been done since.
“This regional is tough. You’ve got Plymouth, you’ve got Culver (Academies), you’ve got us ... and it’s every year.”
The Lady Tigers, who were 6-1 in NLC?play this year, graduate just two players that competed Wednesday – Lewis and Knight.
“That’s a tough one. Liza is gonna be tough to replace. Ella will be almost impossible to replace,” said Orban.
“There’s some young kids, they’ve been here, they’ve been watching, and I bring them here for a reason. We’ve already talked about stepping up their game this summer, or in the winter, playing some tournaments, and getting mentally tougher.”
PLYMOUTH 4, WARSAW 1
Singles: No. 1 – Cortni Cook (P) def. Liza Lewis 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; No. 2 – Ella Knight (W) def. Kyla Heckaman 7-5, 6-2; No. 3 – Miranda German (P) def. Alyssa Zellers 6-4, 6-1
Doubles: No. 1 – McKenzie Scheetz & Leah Smith (P) def. Taylor Shoaf & Rachel Boyle 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 – Mary Beatty & Audie Plothow def. Rachel Yeager & Raegan Merchant 6-3, 6-1
Records: Warsaw 15-4, Plymouth 18-5
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