CULVER – By his own admission, Rick Orban isn’t into moral victories. Warsaw’s veteran tennis coach, however, said he “enjoyed every second” of the Lady Tigers’ thrilling regional semifinal match with conference rival Plymouth Tuesday at the Gable Tennis Center on the campus of Culver Academy. Despite his team’s season coming to an end with a loss, Orban had reason to smile. Nearly a month after falling 5-0 to the Pilgrims during the regular season, Warsaw was a much-improved team Tuesday and gave Plymouth all it could handle before falling 3-2. “I saw our team’s confidence building in the sectional, beating Columbia City, Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee,” said Orban, whose team won just one match prior to the state tournament. “I knew if we played the way we’re capable, we had a chance to win this match. I knew we weren’t gonna lose 5-0 again. I really believed we could win this match. We were two games away from winning the second set (at No. 1 singles) and playing for a regional championship.” Warsaw finished its season with a 4-11 record, while Plymouth (15-4) advanced to tonight’s regional final against Culver Academy (10-4). The host school beat Peru (14-6) by a 4-1 score in Tuesday’s other semifinal. The winner of tonight’s title tilt will play either Penn (18-0) or Valparaiso (18-1) in semistate action Saturday in LaPorte. “Confidence is everything,” said Orban. “We lost our confidence early in the season and never really got it back until the sectional. When you’re confident, and you believe you can win, you’re a better player.” Plymouth scored its first two points with wins at both doubles positions. In No. 1 doubles action, seniors Andria Shook and Marissa German beat Warsaw senior Marlena Smith and junior Olivia Wallin 6-2, 6-3. At No. 2 doubles, senior Emily Blake and junior Ellen beat the Lady Tigers’ duo of sophomore Camille Kerlin and Rosie Fleming 6-1, 6-2. “Plymouth is a good team,” said Orban. “They earned their 5-0 whooping of us a month ago. Their doubles teams are very good. With some confidence and a little lineup change, I knew this could be a very close match, but we had to win at 1, 2 and 3 singles. Their doubles teams are very good.” At No. 2 singles, Warsaw junior Jacqueline Sasso beat senior Mikayla German 6-3, 6-2. In No. 3 singles action, Warsaw senior Lindsay Sciarra defeated sophomore Carley Berger 6-4, 6-1. That left the No. 1 singles match as the deciding factor in which team advanced to the regional final. Warsaw junior Sarah Boyle won the first set 7-6 (7-3), but Plymouth senior Allie Berger responded by winning the next two sets 6-4 and 6-1. Of the seven girls who played for the Lady Tigers in the state tournament, five will return for next year. “This was a lot of fun,” Orban said of the team’s near-win. “I enjoyed every second of it. After the sectional, when I said we didn’t have a chance because they had already beat us 5-0, I was grinning. I’m proud of the girls. We have a number of them coming back for next year, and we have girls waiting in the wings. I hope their confidence continues to grow. We should be pretty strong next year.”
CULVER REGIONAL (semifinal) PLYMOUTH 3, WARSAW 2 Singles: No. 1 – Allie Berger (P) def. Sarah Boyle 6-7, (3-7), 6-4, 6-1; No. 2 – Jacqueline Sasso (W) def. Mikayla German 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 – Lindsay Sciarra (W) def. Carly Berger 6-4,6-1 Doubles: No. 1 – Andria Shook/Marissa German (P) def. Olivia Wallin/Marley Smith 6-2, 6-3; No. 2 – Emily Blake/Ellen Smith (P) def. Camille Kerlin/Rosie Fleming 6-1, 6-2 Records: Warsaw 4-11, Plymouth 15-4 Other semifinal: Culver Academy 4, Peru 1 Records: Culver Academy 10-4, Peru 14-6 Championship: 5:30 p.m. today, Culver Academy vs. Peru
