Warsaw Netters Fall To Plymouth In Regional Semifinal
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
CULVER – As Warsaw tennis coach Rick Orban put it Tuesday evening, his team was close, just not close enough. In a regional semifinal played indoors at Culver Military Academy because of afternoon rains that soaked the Gable Tennis Center outdoor courts, the Tigers fell 3-2 to Northern Lakes Conference rival Plymouth. While the Tigers’ veteran coach doesn’t believe in moral victories, he couldn’t help but talk about how proud he was of his team, which won at No. 1 singles with senior Sam Rice and No. 2 singles with senior Nic Jansen and lost a in a three-set thriller at No. 2 doubles. “Let me start by saying Plymouth is a very good team,” said Orban. “They’ve had a great season and have great record, and there’s a reason for that. To come here and play like we did, I couldn’t be prouder of the kids.” With the win, Plymouth improved to 17-1 on the season and advanced to today’s 5 p.m. regional final against the host Eagles, who beat Peru 5-0 Tuesday. Warsaw finished its season with a 9-7 record. When the Tigers played Plymouth during the regular season they were on the short end of a 4-1 outcome. The NLC rivals battled on three of the five courts in the Northern Lakes Conference Tournament, with Plymouth winning all three matches. Still, the Tigers believed they could win Tuesday, and they played like it. “Our guys came to play, and you can’t ask for more than that,” said Orban, whose team beat Plymouth 3-2 in the regional a year ago. “To be honest, Plymouth is the better team. We came close, just not close enough. It could have gone either way tonight, and I couldn’t be prouder of the way the kids played.” In the first match to finish, Plymouth seniors Ryan Johnson and Max Holloway beat the Warsaw duo of senior Cole Baker and junior Christopher Herendeen 6-4, 6-3 in No. 1 doubles action. The Pilgrims, playing in the regional for the 18th consecutive year, extended their team lead to 2-0 when junior Nate Knapp beat senior Caleb Ray 6-4, 6-3. The Tigers scored their first match win at No. 1 singles, as senior Sam Rice beat junior John Hunter 6-0, 7-6 (4). Rice had lost to Hunter twice this season before Tuesday. “I couldn’t be prouder of Sam,” said Orban. “He’s playing his best tennis of the season. He has an incredible amount of confidence right now. We looked at each other at practice (Monday) and we both said we were gonna win. He dominated the first set, and that was huge for his confidence.” Plymouth, in search of its first regional title since 1992 and second overall, scored the third team point it needed for the win at No. 2 doubles, as sophomore Nick Felke and junior Braydon Davidson edged Warsaw sophomores David Homme and Justin Stout 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Homme and Stout were up 5-4 in the decisive set before Felke and Davidson clinched the win and important team point. In the final match to conclude, Jansen defeated sophomore John Gerard 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8) at No. 2 singles. Jansen had a 5-2 advantage in the first set before Gerard rallied. “Nic never gives up,” said Orban. “He’s been playing all season with huge blisters on his feet. He can barely walk, let alone run, but he never quit.” The winner of tonight’s regional final between Plymouth and CMA (11-7) will advance to Saturday’s semistate, which will also be played at CMA.
CMA REGIONAL (semifinals) PLYMOUTH 3, WARSAW 2 Singles: No. 1 – Sam Rice (W) beat John Hunter 6-0, 7-6 (4); No. 2 – Nic Jansen (W) beat John Gerard 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8); No. 3 – Nate Knapp (P) beat Caleb Ray 6-4, 6-3 Doubles: No. 1 – Ryan Johnson/Max Holloway (P) beat Cole Baker/Christopher Herendeen 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 – Nick Felke/Braydon Davidson (P) beat David Homme/Justin Stout 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 Records: Plymouth 17-1, Warsaw 9-7
CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY 5, PERU 0 Singles: No. 1 – Sam Concannon (CMA) beat Logan Primerano 6-0, 6-0; No. 2. – Chris Bilicic (CMA) beat Jose Morales 6-4, 7-5; No. 3 – Josh Thompkins (CMA) beat Jack Zvers 6-3, 6-3 Doubles: No. 1 – William Bilicic/Brian Tao (CMA) beat Carson Ray/Braden Bates 6-0, 6-2; No. 2 – Evan Dillon/Ian Smith (CMA) beat Andrew Rice/Kameron Graham 6-3, 6-2 Records: CMA 11-7, Peru 15-6
