Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE - In past years, when Manchester and Tippecanoe Valley matched up for a girls tennis match, the results were less than exciting. Manchester usually quickly disposed of the Vikings and had an easy win.
Not anymore.
Both programs are starting anew with first-year coaches. Rachel Temme is the new coach at Manchester, taking over for the retired Don Snell. At Valley, Jack Shambaugh and Mark Gast are splitting the duties after taking the reigns of the program from Sally O'Cock.
And the results? Well, Manchester just narrowly edged Valley 3-2. For Valley, it was definitely a moral victory.
"We're going to be very good," Jack Shambaugh and Mark Gast both concurred after the Vikings lost.
"We lost a heartbreaker, but in years past, this wouldn't have been close," Shambaugh said.
Three matches went the full three sets, but it all came down to No. 2 singles, where Valley's Kyleigh Gast and Manchester's Kerri Metzger were the last two varsity players still on the court.
Gast led 4-1 in the third set, but Metzger fought back to win the last five games and the match.
"Kyleigh was up 4-1 in the third set," Mark Gast, her father, said. "That's a lot of pressure on a freshman. But I'm proud of her anyway."
"I'm very happy," Temme said. "Overall, we played very well. Metzger was able to keep the ball in play. The strategies that we had worked."
Typically, Valley went down pretty easily. But the No. 1 doubles match was a sign of what may be to come in Viking girls tennis. That position is the only one in which Valley has varsity players returning from last year with Carissa Parker and Bonnie Bickel.
Valley trailed 5-4 in the first set and faced three set points. Parker and Bickel came back with five straight points to knot the set at 5-5 and won a tiebreaker 7-2. They then went on to win the second set 6-3.
"It was nice to see them come back to win," Shambaugh said.
Temme said that one of the reasons that Manchester won may have been the stamina to pull out two of the three matches that went three sets.
"That was a strong factor. Our girls were very nervous, because a lot of them had never played varsity before."
Manchester (1-0) will be at Wabash tonight at 4:30 p.m. Valley (0-1) will host Bethany Christian on Saturday at 11 a.m.
MANCHESTER 3, VALLEY 2
Singles
No. 1 - Leila Anselmo (TV) def. Keziah DeFusco 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
No. 2 - Kerri Metzger (M) def. Kyleigh Gast 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
No. 3 - Sarah Gilber (M) def. Abby Lewis 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Bonnie Bickel and Carissa Parker (TV) def. Amy Mangus and Rachel Almond 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
No. 2 - Katrina Runkel and Carmen DeFusco (M) def. Tiffany Cunningham and Wendy Tilden 0-6, 7-5, 6-2
JV: MANCHESTER 4, VALLEY 1
Singles
No. 1 - Greta Miller (M) def. Kati Ellenwood 8-2
No. 2 - Andrea Matias (M) def. Natisha Beam 9-8 (7-5)
No. 3 - Kris Sanders (TV) def. Allison Ingold 8-5
Doubles
No. 1 - Jennifer McIntyre and Molly McWithey (M) def. Erin Drudge and Jamie Baker 8-4
No. 2 - Erin Beyer and Rachel Bushong (M) def. Amber Harmon and Liz Makula 8-2
Exhibition
Doubles - Julia Honig and Jamie Doud (TV) def. Jamie Lauer and Kristen Fradette 8-2
Doubles - Erin Hemming and Lindsey Hix (M) def. Angela Weller and Erin Rhodes 8-6
Doubles - Josie Caudill and Amy Wildermuth (TV) lost 8-0
