Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - It only took about 24 hours for the Grace College women's tennis team to fix what was going wrong. And it came together in a big way as the Lady Lancers stunned perennial Mid-Central Conference power Goshen 5-4 Thursday in the league opener for both teams.
Grace was coming off of a 7-2 loss to Manchester just a night earlier in which the Lady Lancers led 2-1 after doubles play, but was swept in singles after winning just one set in six matches.
But Thursday, Grace turned around a 2-1 deficit after doubles play to win spots two through five in the lineup and stun Goshen 5-4. The team victory ended a streak of seven consecutive wins in the series for the Maple Leafs since Grace began its women's tennis program in 1998 and avenges an 8-1 loss a year ago.
Grace rolled at No. 2 doubles as freshmen Julie Wegener and Brandy Allen cruised to an 8-1 victory, but Goshen won 8-4 at No. 1 and 9-7 at No. 3 to take a 2-1 lead into singles play.
The Lady Lancers faced a difficult task in needing to win four of six singles matches, especially with the sweep by Manchester still fresh on everyone's mind. But Grace was ready this time.
Four sets went to a tiebreak and Grace won three of those. At No. 2, Anna Metz cruised to a 6-1, 4-1 lead before holding on in a tiebreak. At No. 3, Sarah Peters fought back from an early deficit to win the opening set in a tiebreak and held on with a 6-4 second set victory. At No. 5, Kayla Semmerling won the opening set in a tiebreak and then won a comparably easier second set 6-3. And in Grace's only tiebreak loss, Julie Wegener fought back from a hole in the opening set at No. 1 singles, but lost 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.
At No. 4 singles, Juli Linton eased her way to a 6-3, 6-0 victory, while the final match of the day was at No. 6 singles and was the only one to go three sets. Grace's only senior in the lineup, Kari Hueni, lost the opening set 7-5, battled back to win the second set 6-1, but eventually lost in the clincher 6-4.
Grace improves to 1-1 on the season and 1-0 in the Mid-Central Conference. The Lady Lancers will play Huntington Saturday at 11 a.m. at home in another conference match.
GRACE 5, GOSHEN 4
Singles
No. 1 - Diana Diaz (Goshen) def. Julie Wegener 7-6 (9-7) 6-3
No. 2 - Anna Metz (Grace) def. Hannah Gingerich 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
No. 3 - Sarah Peter (Grace) def. Liz Goering 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
No. 4 - Juli Linton (Grace) def. Kaite Martin 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 - Kayla Semmerling (Grace) def. Janie Beck 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
No. 6 - Anita Hooley (Goshen) def. Kari Hueni 7-6, 1-6, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊDiaz/Gingerich (Goshen) def. Mezt/Peters 8-4
No. 2 -ÊWegener/Brandy Allen (Grace) def. Martin/Goering 8-1
No. 3 -ÊBeck/Hooley (Goshen) def. Linton/Semmerling 9-7
