Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MIDDLEBURY - Wawasee's girls tennis team dismissed DeKalb so quickly the Warriors won 5-0 before Goshen and Northridge, the other two teams facing off in Tuesday's four-team Northridge Regional, completed one match.
Wawasee needed less than one hour to advance to the regional finals as no DeKalb player won more than two games against the Warriors, who all breezed through in straight sets.
This was expected: Wawasee improved to 13-4, while DeKalb ended the season 5-9. Now Wawasee meets 12-2 Goshen, which beat Northridge 5-0, for the regional title. The match begins at 5 tonight at Northridge.
"We came in expecting to win," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said, "but in the regional, if you are a good enough team to get here, it's anyone's game."
Wawasee No. 1 singles player Mandy Perzanowski improved to 22-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Christina Grogg. The honors keep rolling in for the perfect Perzanowski, who this week earned an invitation to play in the Indiana/Kentucky All-Star match in Lexington, Ky., on June 18.
In other singles matches, Wawasee No. 2 Kate Murphy defeated Anna Schmidt 6-1, 6-1, and No. 3 Kayla Auer defeated Melissa Otterstedt 6-2, 6-1.
In doubles matches, Wawasee's No. 1 team of Laura Lundin and Margo Searfoss defeated Vanessa Weimer and Cheryl Hartman 6-1, 6-1, and Wawasee's No. 2 doubles team of Alex Heckaman and Ashley Ganz defeated Abby Davis and Alicia South 6-0, 6-1.
"We just had good performances all the way through," Mishler said. "We got the nervousness of being at the regional out of the way early."
The Warriors are at their second tennis regional in school history, the last trip coming in 1998. Wawasee won the first round then but lost to Northridge in the regional finals.
To win the first regional tennis title in school history, the Warriors will have to beat Goshen, a team that handed them one of their four losses. Goshen downed Wawasee 3-2. The Warriors won at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
But the teams last played a month ago.
"You look at our two singles, three singles and two doubles, and now I think we have a legitimate shot at all three," Mishler said.
2000 NORTHRIDGE TENNIS REGIONAL
WAWASEE 5, DEKALB 0
Singles
No. 1 - Mandy Perzanowski def. Christina Grogg 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊKate Murphy def. Anna Schmidt 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 -ÊKayla Auer def. Melissa Otterstedt 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 - Laura Lundin/Margo Searfoss def. Vanessa Weimer/Cheryl Hartman 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 - Alex Heckaman/Ashley Ganz def. Abby Davis/Alicia South 6-0, 6-1
Records: Wawasee 13-4, DeKalb 5-9
Goshen 5, Northridge 0
Singles
No. 1 -ÊLisa Robertson def. Mandy Robarge 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -ÊRobin Braun def. Stephanie Herbster 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 -ÊMary Rose Jordan def. Danielle Duell 6-0, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles
No. 1 - Megan Thomas/Steph Schmidt def. Erika Howell/Ali Beier 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 -ÊCarissa Heacock/Erin Mueller def. Amanda Shoup/Laura Carlson 6-3, 6-4
Records: Goshen 12-2, Northridge N/A
