BOURBON – Tippecanoe Valley’s boys tennis team went to Triton and hurried through a 4-1 win over the host Trojans Tuesday evening. Players on both sides took minimal time between points in an effort to beat the rain that, other than a very brief shower, didn’t arrive until well after the match was over. Other than the first two singles spots, the matches were as close as straight-set wins can be. At No. 1 singles, Valley’s Trevor Neeley beat Gavin Eads 6-1, 6-3, and Eads’ brother Mace got Triton’s only win, 6-0, 6-2 over Keith Wright at No. 2 singles. The Vikings’ Nick Caudill beat Aaron Stichter 6-3, 7-5 at No. 3 singles. Dakota Parker and Seth Hoffman won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 singles over Triton’s Dalton Bailey and Chase Butler. Eric Wright and Kane Steller won the final match for Valley, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 over Brenden Damron and Keygan Moiser at No. 2 doubles. “It wasn’t pretty, but we got the job done,” said Valley head coach Jack Shambaugh. “We got down 4-0, 4-1 in a couple of those matches, and came back to win. Once we got our legs under us, it was OK after that. We moved our feet and played better. “(Neeley) probably had the best match tonight. It looked like he was moving better.” Triton head coach Al Peckham said one of the Eads brothers may have been bothered by an injury, and the other is continually improving as the season moves along. “My No. 1 player (Gavin Eads) on Saturday when we played Bethany hurt his hip a little bit, and I could tell,” Peckham said. “Tonight he started out real slow, and didn’t have much confidence. He was chopping at things and not reaching for things. In the second set he looked like he started to get a little better. We have another match (today) against South Bend Riley, and hopefully he (feels) a little better then.” “Mace is getting better every time. He’s taken advantage of playing a couple of players that were really good and learned from them, and really brought his level up.” Valley returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Cass.
