Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Three out of the four teams still competing in Thursday’s semifinal round of the Warsaw girls tennis sectional were local representatives, as the host Lady Tigers took on Tippecanoe Valley, while Whitko faced off against Columbia City. The Lady Vikings were able to pull off the upset of the day, defeating Warsaw 4-1 to advance to the sectional championship on Friday. The Lady Eagles will be their opponent after taking down the Lady ‘Cats 4-1 as well.
The Lady Vikings got off to an awfully quick start in their match against Warsaw, putting the pressure on the Lady Tigers early. The first match to conclude was the No. 2 singles match between Valley’s Bella Parker and Warsaw’s Mackenzie Campbell. Parker set the tone early by taking a lead in the opening stages of the set and never looking back. After winning the first set 6-2, Parker kept her foot on the pedal in the second, taking it 6-1 to put Tippy Valley on the board 1-0 in the match.
Moments later, that became a 2-0 lead. The No. 1 doubles pairing of Karley Hallstrom and Maci Parker had their hands full with the Warsaw pairing of Ella Jarrett and Isabele Hoover, but the Valley duo was able to hold strong in the first set to take it 6-3. The second set was a different story however, as Hallstrom and Parker took the momentum they had gained from the opener and ran with it. The duo wasted no time at all in the second set, winning it 6-0 with a dominant performance that was headlined by some great play close to the net. With the first two matches decided, the Lady Tigers would have to win the next three to avoid being eliminated.
They would not get it. The No. doubles team of Maycee Koch and Kinley Crabb struggled in the first set of their match, as Warsaw’s Reagan Edwards and Tessa Annen took the opener 6-3. From that point on though, it was all Koch and Crabb, as the pairing stormed back to take the second set 6-3 before finishing things off with a 6-4 victory to clinch the match for the Lady Vikings.
For good measure, Valley added one more win, as No. 1 Savana Miller was able to come back to take her opening set 7-5 against Warsaw’s Elise Shively. She had far fewer problems in the second set, taking it 6-1 to make it a 4-0 performance for the Lady Vikings.
Warsaw senior Mackenzie Campbell uses a backhand return during her No. 2 Singles match at Thursday evening's sectional...Nieter
The Lady Tigers would not be shut out, as No. 3 Sofie Tumova was able to battle back to collect a three-set win (2-6, 6-2, 6-0) over Adela Cerna. Tumova had served as Warsaw’s most consistent player all season long, but her victory was too little, too late for her team to continue its season.
On the other side of the tennis complex. Columbia City was able to handle its county rival Whitko for the most part. The lone Whitko win came from the No. 1 doubles pairing of Grace Burnsworth and Catherine Deckena. The 6-3, 6-4 win for the No. 1 doubles team qualifies the pairing for the individual state tournament. The duo now waits to find out who and where they will play next.
Tippecanoe Valley will take on Columbia City in the sectional championship on Friday.
