Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
For two seniors who never played tennis together before this season, Kara Kesler and Amber Barrett haven't been too shabby.
"Kara and Amber did not play together last year," said Warsaw coach Joe Beeson. "The more they play together, and the more they play with each other on the court, the stronger they get. It has been really interesting watching them grow this year. They have become more comfortable with each other, and their confidence in one another has grown as well."
Sporting a 23-3 overall record, the Tiger duo will hit the courts Friday in the individual state tournament at North Central High School in Indianapolis.
But don't expect to see the same old game from the Warsaw pair.
"Our season schedule did not allow us to add a great deal to the girls' game," said Beeson. "We only had one practice between games, so that didn't leave a lot of room to put new things in. Now that we've had a bit of a break, we plan to add a little to our game.
"The other girls from the team have been coming in to practice and hit the ball with Kara and Amber. The girls are practicing an hour every day, but there is not a great deal that we are doing differently to get ready."
Kesler and Barrett have had nearly two weeks to prepare for the state match after receiving an automatic bid to the state finals. They won both of their matches in the team semistate to get the automatic bid. Warsaw was defeated by Merrillville 3-2 in the team semistate.
But the pair had to practice more than a week not knowing who their opponent would be.
The wait was finally over Monday when the Tigers learned they would be playing the No. 1 doubles team from Kokomo.
Kesler and Barrett will take on Jamie Jaenicke and Amy Killingbeck of Kokomo Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. Jaenicke and Killingbeck sport a 21-2 season record. The winner of Friday's match moves on to the semifinals match will advance to Saturday's semifinal where they will face the winner of the Brownsburg/Vincennes-North Central match at 9 a.m. The final match will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
2001 Doubles State Tournament
North Central High School, Indianapolis
First Round, 9 a.m. June 8
Kristi Schuck/Kim Decker (Brownsburg, 10-0) v. Brittany Perkins/Katy Mathis (Vincennes Lincoln, 16-1)
Quarterfinals, 2 p.m. June 8
Brownsburg-Vincennes Lincoln winner v. Karin Agness/Hillary Friedman (North Central, 19-0)
Kara Kesler/Amber Barrett (Warsaw, 23-3) v. Jamie Jaenicke/Amy Killingbeck (Kokomo, 21-1)
Audra Mattingly/Jeanne Hartley (Jasper, 23-3) v. Jenni Pettibone/Lindsay Houin (Plymouth, 16-2)
Sarah Peckinpoaugh/Ashli Smith (Delta, 11-0) v. Elizabeth Brown/Andrea Prusinski (Floyd Central, 24-2)
Semifinals, 9 a.m. June 9
Brownsburg/Vincennes Lincoln-North Central winner v. Warsaw-Kokomo winner
Jasper-Brownsburg winner v. Plymouth-Floyd Central winner
Finals, 2 p.m. June 9
Morning losers meet in consolation finals
Morning winners meet in championship finals
