FORT WAYNE — Playing tough competition may not result in wins, but it is benefitting the Warsaw girls tennis team. Playing District 2, No. 6 Carroll (5-2) Monday in Fort Wayne, the Warsaw Lady Tigers (3-3) were taking on their third ranked district opponent in six matches, falling 4-1. “We schedule these teams year after year because they are good,” Warsaw coach Rick Orban said. “Traditionally, we give them a pretty good fight. The last time we played Carroll, we beat them 3-2. They’re a good team. They’re a good, solid team.” Having already played District 2 No. 3 Fort Wayne Canterbury, District 2 No. 7 Fairfield and District 1 No. 8 Plymouth, Warsaw still has a way to go. Remaining on the schedule is District 2 No. 5 Fort Wayne Concordia (Friday), District 2 No. 8 Homestead (April 30) and District 1 No. 5 Culver Girls Academy (May 15), but injuries seem to be a bigger problem than anything else. “With our injuries, honestly, we did pretty well,” Orban said. “I’m pretty proud of the girls.” Injuries forced Orban to jumble his lineup against the Lady Chargers, moving senior Sarah Hartle and her injured ankle from No. 1 to No. 2 singles, where she did win 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. Despite her success, Orban was wondering if he did the right thing playing her, as well as a few others. “I probably shouldn’t have played Sarah tonight,” he said about Hartle, whose two-set match was the longest of the night at just over an hour-and-a-half. “I probably shouldn’t have played (sophomore Sarah) Boyle tonight (at No. 2 singles). I probably shouldn’t have played (junior) Lindsay (Sciarra) tonight (at No. 1 doubles). These kids want to play, and it’s hard to look at them and say no when you know they’re going to go out and give it everything they have. That’s all you can hope for as a coach.” Along with Hartle’s win, Warsaw’s next-best effort was by Sciarra and junior Olivia Wallin, who bounced back from a 6-2 opening set loss to lead 5-4 in the second at No. 1 doubles. However, Carroll’s duo of sophomore Makenzie Schoeff and junior Audrey Mallers responded by forcing a tiebreaker, which they won 7-3. The Carroll match was just one of four for the Warsaw varsity team this week, and with the injuries not likely to heal that fast, Orban’s positive his girls can overcome. “We’re pulling wins out,” he said. “We’ve got Elkhart Memorial (today), and that will be an interesting match. I think we should win it 3-2, maybe 4-1, but we’ll see how many injuries we have after tonight. It’s been an interesting season.” Following today’s Northern Lakes Conference match on the road, Warsaw hosts Wawasee Thursday then welcomes in Fort Wayne Concordia Friday.
