Manchester Tennis Dominates Northwestern
The Manchester tennis team defeated Northwestern 4-1 Wednesday.
On a chilly April evening Manchester Lady Tennis took on visiting (and soon to be TRC opponent) Kokomo Northwestern
The early matches all went Manchester’s way as the first team point came quickly off the fantastic play of Carleigh Blevins & Addison Brubaker (6-0,6-1). In a match that lasted just over a half an hour, Blevins and Brubaker played classic power tennis with big serves, laser returns, and aggressive net winners. Coach Eichenauer remarked, “These two ladies are so fun to watch with their energy and athleticism. They are one of the top Manchester doubles teams to ever put on the uniform for us.” Sarah Kerlin was the next to come off a winner using her heavy topspin groundstrokes to overpower her opponent. Kerlin would sweep all the games in set one before handling set two with ease 6-2. “Sarah was striking the ball the best I’ve see her hit all season. I’m excited to see her begin to play her best tennis as we head towards May,”
Eichenauer replied. Bethany Penrod secured the team win as she started strong and never looked back. Penrod would win 10 straight games to lead 6-0,4-0 before dropping one and winning the final two for a 6-1 second set. “Bethany is such a smart, steady player. It’s fun to watch her patiently and strategically pick her opponent apart. She’s such a big part of our team’s success giving us great singles depth.” stated Eichenauer. The doubles team of Hailey Krom and Kate Schroll faced two scrapy and determined opponents who didn’t back down to Manchester’s big serves and talent at the net. Krom and Schroll would turn a 4-4 tie in set one to a 6-4 win. Set two saw the duo get an early 2-1 lead and stretched it to 5-2 before trading games for the 6-3 victory. “While we still need to work on a few parts of our games, Hailey and Kate gave great effort and determination to play some exciting points. “Hailey’s returns were a difference maker and Kate’s serving and shot making lifted us to victory,” commented Coach Eichenauer. Northwestern did take the top singles spot as Myla Crozier competed hard but came up short. “While Myla was disappointed in her performance, her opponent was skilled and deserves credit for her great play. Myla has some plans for upcoming practice time to keep getting better,” concluded Eichenauer.
JV play was all Manchester too with Maggie Onderko-White winning in singles (8-0) and Lexie Nighols and Ruby Martin notching a doubles victory (8-2). Tallulah Gawthrop and Adriana Escudero continued to shine in their 8-3 win. Some of the most exciting tennis of the evening again came off the rackets of several Manchester vs. Manchester matchups. “We’ve got many talented players all going out and improving their game. It’ll be exciting to see who keeps developing and improving as the season progresses. Manchester travels to Southwood for a makeup match Thursday. Next week includes @Whitko Tuesday, home vs. Huntington North Wednesday, at Bluffton Thursday, and continuing the home match vs. Columbia City delayed by rain earlier this season.
