Warsaw boys tennis coach Rick Orban knew his team was pretty good, and his conviction grew Monday evening. Hosting Mishawaka Marian (0-2), Orban had mentioned it would be an interesting match, but the 4-1 victory by the Tigers (2-0) didn’t leave much drama. “They’re just real solid from the top to the bottom,” Orban said about the Mishawaka Marian Knights. “It was going to be interesting on the matchups, and that’s what I always look at.” The best matchup wast at No. 1 singles, where Warsaw junior Kyle Wettschurack lost the opening set 6-2 to Marian’s Jack Julien, but came back to take a 4-3 lead in the second. But just when it looked like a third set was imminent, Julien responded by winning three-straight games, and the set 6-4. “We were working a lot to (Julien’s) backhand,” Orban said about what was working for Wettschurack. “Kyle just started hitting way too many shots to his forehand, and the kid was putting balls away. That happens. (Julien) slices a lot with his backhand shot, which makes it tougher to place it where you want to.” Warsaw’s No. 1 doubles team of senior A.J. Herendeen and sophomore Sam Rice also had some ups-and-downs in their 6-2, 6-4 victory. After breezing through the first set, the Tigers’ tandem was also cruising in the second, nabbing a 5-2 lead. However, a lull occurred, and Marian’s David Hicks and Clint Lowenhauer won the next two games. Leading just 5-4, Herendeen and Rice refocused to win the next game, and the match 6-2, 6-4. “When we play seriously, we’re really good,” Orban said. “We just tend to relax a little bit.” A changeup from the season opener was moving senior A.J. Jansen from No. 2 singles to No. 3, while moving junior Evan Miller into the No. 2 slot. The switch paid off as Miller won 6-2, 7-5 and Jansen was a 6-2, 6-1 victor. “Real comfortable with it,” Orban said about the move. “Evan played real solid at 2 singles and A.J. was very solid at 3 singles.” Warsaw’s other team point, which was actually the first court to finish, came from senior Connor Singrey and junior Will Petro winning at No. 2 doubles, 6-2, 6-1. A real test awaits Warsaw now, as it prepares to head to No. 10 Penn Wednesday. The original matchup was supposed to be Aug. 13, but rain pushed it back. “They’re No. 10 for a reason,” Orban said about the Kingsmen.
