By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – When it comes to the Mudsock tennis rivalry, every match is important. Even those that finish after the meet has been clinched.
The Fishers boys tennis team already had Tuesday’s Mudsock meet won, but the Tigers wanted a sweep. They got it, beating Hamilton Southeastern 5-0 at the Fishers tennis courts. Both teams are ranked in this week’s Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll – the Tigers are No. 16 and the Royals are No. 25 – and the meet was pretty close.
At No. 2 singles, Fishers’ Gavin Conrad dropped the first set to Southeastern’s Leo McVeigh 6-0. But Conrad turned things around, won the second set 6-3, and then cruised through a third-set super tiebreak 10-3.
In the No. 2 doubles match, the Tigers’ Johnny Mills and Vaughan Curtis split sets with the Royals’ Amay Kulkarni and Brady Stump. That match also went to a super tiebreak, which the Fishers team won 10-8.
The Tigers won the other three matches in straight sets.
“We showed that we can compete,” said Tigers coach Dave Heffern. “We’ve played quite a few matches already and we’ve lost some matches, tight ones and tight sets that we probably should have won. There’s this getting over the hump uncertainty. You got to play like you believe that you can do it, instead of ‘Oh, I’m afraid.’ And that’s the hardest part of sports.”
Royals coach Doug Gernert was pleased with how his team competed, even if the result wasn’t what they wanted.
“Regardless of ratings or rankings in the state, you always get up for that sort of match,” said Gernert. “And we came out pretty good. Fishers was just a little bit tougher than us today.”
Gernert said his team is still growing and rebuilding after graduating several players from last year, but also said “we’re getting better every day.”
FISHERS 5, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 0
No. 1 singles: Aiden Foley def. Alex Piercy 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Gavin Conrad def. Leo McVeigh 0-6, 6-3, 10-3
No. 3 singles: Cooper Vallance def. Alex White 6-2, 6-4
No. 1 doubles: Jack Butler and Thomas Bender def. Eliot Cox and Logan Bill 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 doubles: Johnny Mills and Vaughan Curtis def. Amay Kulkarni and Brady Stump 6-3, 5-7, 10-8
***
In another big county rivalry match, No. 22-ranked Noblesville edged out No. 20 Westfield 3-2 at the Millers’ tennis complex.
The key match was No. 3 singles, where Zane Panning came back from a set down to win 6-1. The Millers’ No. 1 doubles of Rory Bushong and Liam Shepard also prevailed in a three-setter, winning 6-2 in the third set. No. 2 doubles Jack Brenneman and Coleman Kratz were straight-set winners.
Westfield won two singles matches, with No. 1 Alex Sagarra and No. 2 Parker Paramoure both getting straight-set victories.
NOBLESVILLE 3, WESTFIELD 2
No. 1 singles: Alex Sagarra (W) def. Ethan Feliciano (N) 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Parker Paramoure (W) def. Max Habel (N) 6-0, 6-0
No. 3 singles: Zane Panning (N) def. Jay Hostetter (W) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Rory Bushong and Liam Shepard (N) def. Jack Dietz and Gavin Dietz (W) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
No. 2 doubles: Jack Brenneman and Coleman Kratz (N) def. Parker Gibbs and Jake Juntgen (W) 7-5, 6-3
***
Hamilton Southeastern placed third at the Fort Wayne Carroll Invitational last Saturday. Coach Doug Gernert said it was an overall “great day” for the Royals. (Photo provided)
Hamilton Southeastern traveled to the Fort Wayne Carroll Invitational last Saturday, where the Royals placed third.
Southeastern won its first-round dual 5-0. Alex Piercy won in three sets, with Leo McVeigh and Alex White both getting straight-set victories. Elliot Cox and Logan Bill dominated at No. 1 doubles, while Amay Kulkarni and Brady Stump won the No. 2 doubles match 6-0, 6-0.
In the semi-finals, the Royals played No. 4-ranked Homestead and lost 5-0. Southeastern played the Spartans tough, as White and Kulkarni/Stump both took their opponents to third-set tiebreaks.
The Royals won the third-place match with a 3-2 victory over No. 26 Carroll. White won at No. 3 singles, and both doubles teams, No. 1 Bill/Cox and No. 2 Kulkarni/Stump, were victorious in straight sets.