Wawasee Thrives And AdvancesWawasee’s and Whitko’s girls tennis teams wrapped up their regular season schedules against each other Monday, then opened the Warsaw Sectional facing off for the second time in 48 hours.
In both cases, it was Wawasee that came away with a 5-0 win, with all five matches in straight sets.
First off the courts was the No. 2 doubles match, when Warrior sophomores Abby Morehead and Tate Cowan rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Abigail Metz and Bailey Wright. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth Kleopfer overcame a slow start to get a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Katherine Ousley.
The Warriors clenched their semifinal date today with Warsaw when Kendra Doerr finished strong in a 6-2, 6-0 win over Kayla Schipper.
Molly Jones and Kaitlin Graber then won at No. 1 doubles, 6-1, 6-3 over freshmen Jacie Thomas and Kylie Fugett. The match concluded with Peyton Rookstool finishing a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mahkinsey Myers.
Wawasee interim head coach Lynette Jackson admitted it would have been easy to look past the Wildcats, but any slow start may have had cause other than overconfidence.
“I don’t think they overlooked (Whitko). We focused only on this match; we haven’t talked about going any further or what we’re going to do,” she said. “The first few games, we were slower than I would have liked; I think that was sectional nerves, coming in and knowing they have a job to do.
“They took care of things pretty easily on Monday, and things didn’t go quite like they thought it would in the first game or two, and then thoughts start creeping into our minds. But then they did a really good job of overcoming that, of settling down, getting back to business and finishing out on all the courts.”
Wildcats head coach Calvin Sellers said while his team had improved since the season started seven weeks ago, the story Tuesday was essentially the same as it’s been the entire year.
“There were small moments of perfect execution, and that’s the way it’s been all season, but we’re a young team, so I’m happy with that,” he said.
“We played Wawasee a couple of nights ago, and it was a little harder on us. (We) were able to adapt and come out a little more confident and knowing what to expect against such an experienced team.
“They have a bright future ahead of them. Those small bursts will become long rallies that win sets and win matches.”
Jackson said that playing a first-round match in a five-team sectional is an advantage, heading into today’s semifinal match with the Tigers.
“It was a good thing to play (Tuesday), so they got a chance to get down here, get a feel for it, play in warm weather, which is something we haven’t done all year long, so that was different for us, too,” she said.
“But I think it was good for us to get out here, hit, and I think (today) they will be a lot more relaxed.”
Columbia City will take on Tippecanoe Valley in the other semifinal, with both matches set to begin around 5 p.m. on the Warsaw campus.
