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An indicator each year that summer is just around the corner, girls tennis began sectional play on Thursday afternoon, with three local schools, including hosts Warsaw, beginning their postseason journeys.
Due to inclement weather on Wednesday, two different rounds of the tournament were played simultaneously on Thursday, as Warsaw and Whitko faced off in the quarterfinals while Wawasee and Columbia City clashed in the semis. The Lady Tigers won their match 5-0 and will face Tippecanoe Valley in the semifinals tomorrow. On the other side, Wawasee was able to squeak out a 3-2 win, meaning they will wait in Saturday’s championship.
Per usual, Warsaw’s No. 1 singles competitor Addie Lind got off to a fast start and didn’t let up, defeating Whitko’s Bailey Wolfe 6-0, 6-0. That’s been the score for Lind more times than not this season, as she recently finished off the regular season of her senior year by clinching a perfect 40-0 record in Northern Lakes Conference play over the course of her career.
“I try not to get distracted or lose focus too much, so I try to speed things up and keep that momentum going when I feel like I’m headed in the right direction,” she said.
Lind is coming off of an appearance in the state quarterfinals in her junior year and is hoping to go even further in her final postseason run.
“I’m just trying to take things one match at a time, one point at a time,” the Davenport University commit said. “I don’t want to get too ahead of myself in any way or set myself up for failure.”
Not long afterwards, the No. 1 doubles pairing of Emma VanPuffelen and Whitney Dawson were able to cruise to a 6-0, 6-2 victory to give the Lady Tigers an early 2-0 lead in the match. The pairing showed poise and excellent chemistry over the course of the match and began the state tournament with a win.
No. 2 Abby Nicholas was next to secure a victory, winning 6-1, 6-0. The power on some of Nicholas’ shots was too much for her opponent, and she was able to use a lethal combination of strength and skill to win the clinching match for Warsaw.
For good measure, the Lady Tigers won the two final matches to finish off the sweep. First, the No. 2 doubles pairing of Mackenzie Campbell and Ellie Porter won 7-5, 6-3. Wrapping things up was No. 3 Jerica Nier, who won a thrilling match 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) over Whitko’s Alexa Culp. During the tiebreaker at the end of the match, both athletes had their fair share of momentum, but it was Nier who was able to finish things off.
Warsaw will face Tippecanoe Valley in Friday’s semifinal match. The winner will take on Wawasee in the championship.
