While elementary school kids got tennis lessons on a nearby court, the Warsaw Lady Tigers took 24th-ranked NorthWood to school in the early matches and rolled to a 4-1 win at the Warsaw Tennis and Fitness Center Tuesday.
The matches were scheduled to be played in Nappanee, but were moved indoors due to the cold, damp conditions at the NorthWood courts. The victory keeps the Lady Tigers’ hopes for a Northern Lakes Conference title alive heading in to today’s home match with No. 26 Concord.
Ella Knight dropped one game in her straight set win at No. 2 singles, and at No. 1 doubles Colette Smith and Athena Schlitt rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 win over NorthWood’s Jama Rice and Kennedy Wiens.
Liza Lewis rolled to a 4-1 advantage in her opening set at No. 1 singles, and went on to win 6-2, 6-2, clinching the win for the Lady Tigers before the final two matches began.
At No. 3 singles, Alyssa Zellers won 6-1, 6-1, and Warsaw’s No. 2 doubles team of Libby Jenkins and Rachel Yeager lost a lengthy three-set match.
“Liza is playing with a lot of confidence right now. She’s hitting the ball clean, she’s moving her feet really well. Liza’s a really good player,” Warsaw coach Rick Orban said.
“Ella Knight is undefeated in the conference, and the girl she beat (NorthWood’s Reegan Miller) has a good record in the NLC. Ella is playing extremely good tennis right now. And at No. 3, Alyssa is also undefeated in the conference. And our No. 1 doubles team beat a team that went to state last year.
“So we’re all playing with a lot of confidence, and playing to win instead of playing not to lose. And that makes a huge difference.”
Orban said his team went into the match with an underdog’s mindset.
“NorthWood is a ranked team, and we’re not, so you never know. I do know our No. 1, 2 and 3 singles and No. 1 doubles are very good.
“We talked about how we were the underdog because they’re a ranked team and we’re not. And with the scores the way they were, I think our girls definitely came to play.”
One of the things that helps Warsaw, according to Orban, is the schedule the Lady Tigers play. The slate includes some of the top teams in the state, and helps prepare Warsaw for the last month of the season, which includes the end of the conference race, the NLC Tournament and the state tourney.
“We play an incredibly tough schedule, and for us to be 8-2 now with the schedule we play, either you get better or you give up,” Orban said. “I think we’re headed into the end of the season with the attitudes we need to have.”
Because the matches were moved indoors, the junior varsity didn’t play.
Warsaw is scheduled to host Concord today.
WARSAW 4, NORTHWOOD 1
Singles: No. 1 – Liza Lewis (W) def. Alex Jesse (NW) 6-2, 6-2; No. 2 – Ella Knight (W) def. Reegan Miller (NW) 6-1, 6-0; No. 3 – Alyssa Zellers (W) def. Hannah Walter (NW) 6-1, 6-1.
