Warsaw Netters Dominate Columbia CityA strength of Warsaw’s varsity girls tennis team is its singles lineup.
That was certainly evident Thursday, as Liza Lewis, Ella Knight and Alyssa Zellers dominated their Columbia City opponents and led the Lady Tigers to a 4-1 win in the team’s home opener.
Lewis, Knight and Zellers were Warsaw’s singles players last year as the Lady Tigers won their second straight regional title.
In Thursday’s match, the talented trio lost just one game between them.
Lewis was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Grace Cotter at No. 1 singles, Knight beat Olivia Campbell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, and Zellers blanked Lydia Morgan in No. 3 singles action.
“Traditionally, I use the first three matches every year as a way of trying to figure out where I’m at, who I’ve got, what they’re really comfortable with, what they’re a little uncomfortable with so we can work on it ... we try to get that in before the Plymouth match, which is our first conference match of the year,” said veteran Warsaw coach Rick Orban.
“We learned a little bit tonight. At 1, 2 and 3 singles, Liza, Ella and Alyssa, they played those positions last year. They’re comfortable, and they’re good. I’m real pleased with them. I don’t think I said a word to any of them the whole match, and I told them I probably wouldn’t before the match started.
“I’m real pleased with our singles play, and I’m pleased with the progress we just had at No. 1 doubles, and I?was thrilled with our No. 2 doubles tonight.”
Taylor Shoaf and Reagan Merchant were 6-0, 6-1 winners over Columbia City’s Halie Cearbaugh and Baylie Young in No. 2 doubles play.
Warsaw’s lone loss in the match came on the No. 1 doubles court, where Columbia City’s Hannah Behm and Jayma Acres beat Rachel Boyle and Amy Herendeen 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“The doubles lineups are going to change quite a bit,” said Orban, whose team opened its season Tuesday with a 3-2 loss at Fort Wayne Canterbury.
“It was a matter of confidence. We won the first set big, easily, and then they lost the first game of the second set and you could see panic setting in. I tried to tell them, ‘my gosh, you won the first set 6-1, if anybody should start to panic it should be Columbia City.’ The longer it went, the more nervous they got, the more nervous you get the less accuracy you have, the less you’re willing to go for shots.
“That’s something they’re going to have to learn to work their way out of. A really good doubles team helps each other, and when there’s an error in judgement or execution your partner should tell you that. That’s the conversation we had after the match, and it was just sheer panic that caused them to lose that.”
The Lady Tigers will be in action again Saturday when they host their annual varsity tournament, followed by a home match with conference rival Plymouth on Tuesday.
In JV action Thursday, Warsaw won 11 of 12 matches, including four 8-0 victories.
Libby Jenkins and Maddie Ray won their respective singles matches without losing a game, as did the doubles teams of Charlotte Grandon and Grace Lewis, and Mikayla Roller and Heather Rickert.
