Warsaw Team, Manchester Doubles Advances At Regional
May 24, 2023 at 12:23 a.m.
Warsaw Team, Manchester Doubles Advances At Regional
By Connor McCann-
Warsaw was led once again by a dominant performance from No. 1 singles player Addie Lind. For the second straight match, Lind earned a 6-0, 6-0 win, making it look easy at points as she overpowered her opponent. The match lasted under an hour as Lind wasted no time in making sure she did her part in helping her team advance.
No. 3 singles player Emma Van Puffelen had one of the more impressive victories on the day, battling back from going down 0-3 in her first set to end up winning the match 6-3, 6-2. The match was an intense one, with some rallies even lasting over a minute.
“She went out and was experimenting with a few new things we’d been working on,” Warsaw head coach Stacy Lind said after the match. “She decided to play her game to start picking up points and it turned into a fantastic performance.”
Plymouth was quick to get one back on the scoreboard though, as the Pilgrims’ No. 1 doubles pairing earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Warsaw’s Clara Porter and Avery Landwerlen in a match that Plymouth led for the entirety of. Porter and Landwerlen were able to inch closer at times, but were unable to put together a steady enough run to pull ahead.
It wouldn’t matter much to Warsaw however, as not long afterwards, the No. 2 doubles team of Lucy Ray and Claire Reichenbach put the finishing touches on a 7-5, 6-2 victory to clinch the match for the Lady Tigers with the team’s first victory. Reichenbach and Ray, like Van Puffelen, had to battle back from an early deficit before turning it on to come away with the victory.
“I think one doubles went out and played tough, Plymouth’s team is very strong so I can’t ask for much more than they gave me tonight,” Lind said. “Two doubles went out and played their best game and they needed to do that.”
On a day full of back-and-forth matches, the closest was won by Warsaw No. 2 singles competitor Abby Nicholas. The match saw both Nicholas and her opponent taking slim leads at times before Nicholas emerged victorious with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 victory.
Warsaw will return to Culver Academy Wednesday evening for a match against the host school for the regional championship.
The Lady Tigers weren’t the only local athletes in attendance at Culver. The Manchester No. 1 doubles team of Carleigh Blevins and Delani Henderson qualified for the state individual tournament after the Lady Squires’ team lost 3-2 to Peru Friday night in the sectional championship. Blevins and Henderson advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Northfield pairing.
Despite the straight set victory, the win didn’t come easily for the Lady Squires. Blevins admitted after the match that it wasn’t her best day, though she was able to fight through it and win some very impressive points down the stretch.
“You sometimes feel the pressure and the nerves start to settle in a little bit,” Blevins said. “But you have to overcome that and be confident in your abilities and that your partner is going to be there to pick you up.”
Henderson echoed her teammate’s sentiment.
“We battled through some negative energy tonight and I’m proud of the way we played. Our consistency has been a key all season long, as well as letting our opponent make the first mistake and that was big for us tonight.”
The Lady Squire duo will also return to Culver Academy Wednesday night for a meeting with the No. 1 Plymouth doubles team for a chance to keep on advancing in the state tournament.
Warsaw was led once again by a dominant performance from No. 1 singles player Addie Lind. For the second straight match, Lind earned a 6-0, 6-0 win, making it look easy at points as she overpowered her opponent. The match lasted under an hour as Lind wasted no time in making sure she did her part in helping her team advance.
No. 3 singles player Emma Van Puffelen had one of the more impressive victories on the day, battling back from going down 0-3 in her first set to end up winning the match 6-3, 6-2. The match was an intense one, with some rallies even lasting over a minute.
“She went out and was experimenting with a few new things we’d been working on,” Warsaw head coach Stacy Lind said after the match. “She decided to play her game to start picking up points and it turned into a fantastic performance.”
Plymouth was quick to get one back on the scoreboard though, as the Pilgrims’ No. 1 doubles pairing earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Warsaw’s Clara Porter and Avery Landwerlen in a match that Plymouth led for the entirety of. Porter and Landwerlen were able to inch closer at times, but were unable to put together a steady enough run to pull ahead.
It wouldn’t matter much to Warsaw however, as not long afterwards, the No. 2 doubles team of Lucy Ray and Claire Reichenbach put the finishing touches on a 7-5, 6-2 victory to clinch the match for the Lady Tigers with the team’s first victory. Reichenbach and Ray, like Van Puffelen, had to battle back from an early deficit before turning it on to come away with the victory.
“I think one doubles went out and played tough, Plymouth’s team is very strong so I can’t ask for much more than they gave me tonight,” Lind said. “Two doubles went out and played their best game and they needed to do that.”
On a day full of back-and-forth matches, the closest was won by Warsaw No. 2 singles competitor Abby Nicholas. The match saw both Nicholas and her opponent taking slim leads at times before Nicholas emerged victorious with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 victory.
Warsaw will return to Culver Academy Wednesday evening for a match against the host school for the regional championship.
The Lady Tigers weren’t the only local athletes in attendance at Culver. The Manchester No. 1 doubles team of Carleigh Blevins and Delani Henderson qualified for the state individual tournament after the Lady Squires’ team lost 3-2 to Peru Friday night in the sectional championship. Blevins and Henderson advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Northfield pairing.
Despite the straight set victory, the win didn’t come easily for the Lady Squires. Blevins admitted after the match that it wasn’t her best day, though she was able to fight through it and win some very impressive points down the stretch.
“You sometimes feel the pressure and the nerves start to settle in a little bit,” Blevins said. “But you have to overcome that and be confident in your abilities and that your partner is going to be there to pick you up.”
Henderson echoed her teammate’s sentiment.
“We battled through some negative energy tonight and I’m proud of the way we played. Our consistency has been a key all season long, as well as letting our opponent make the first mistake and that was big for us tonight.”
The Lady Squire duo will also return to Culver Academy Wednesday night for a meeting with the No. 1 Plymouth doubles team for a chance to keep on advancing in the state tournament.
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