By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – The sectional streak continues for the Carmel Greyhounds.
Carmel’s boys tennis team won its 15th consecutive sectional trophy Thursday at the Todd Witsken Tennis Center, beating Zionsville 4-1 for the Sectional 35 title. The win is also the 38th in program history for the Greyhounds.
It was a spirited, emotional match for Carmel. The Eagles had beaten the Greyhounds in the regular season, and Zionsville is ranked No. 2 in the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll, while Carmel is ranked No. 3.
“I felt like the first time, we didn’t execute our shots,” said Vishal Shankar, who played No. 2 singles for the Greyhounds. Shankar said he thought the team “didn’t have a great game plan” going into the regular-season match, but Carmel did so in the sectional, “and I felt like that worked out,” he said.
Indeed, the Hounds took care of business in relatively routine fashion. Carmel won the first set in all five matches, then both doubles teams quickly finished things off. No. 1 Michael Bao and Grant Mu won their match 6-2, 6-4 and No. 2 Sanijth Boddu and Rajeev Singh were 6-1, 6-3 winners.
No. 1 singles Wesley Worobel won the deciding point, getting a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 win over Zionsville’s Jose De Andrade Portillo. Seconds later, Shankar won his match 6-3, 6-1.
“I think we got the right guys in the right spots,” said Greyhounds coach Dan Brunette. “It took us a while. We had some ups and downs, took some bumps along the way. Dealing with adversity and persevering, obviously is an important factor in life, but also in a team.”
The No. 3 singles match was a true roller-coaster ride. Carmel’s Andrew Kim won the first set 6-1, then the Eagles’ Tyler Reed took the second set 6-0. The third set eventually went to a 10-point super tiebreak that extended beyond the usual 10 points. Both players held match points before Reed won 15-13 to pick up Zionsville’s lone point.
“We definitely felt very good after losing to them during regular season,” said Worobel. “Good bounce back.”
The Greyhounds won their 38th sectional in program history and now advance to the Lebanon regional, which begins on Tuesday. Carmel will get another tough opponent: No. 1-ranked Brebeuf Jesuit. The Braves cruised through the Park Tudor sectional with two 5-0 victories and beat the Hounds when the teams met earlier in the season.
“This is their year, they know that,” said Brunette. “They’re a great team. They’re also very well-coached and they’re pretty committed to their program. It’s going to be a tough one. It’s going to be a battle. It’s exciting, though.”
Tigers edge out HSE
Sectional 31 host Fishers defended its sectional championship on Thursday with a 3-2 win over No. 9 Hamilton Southeastern.
Fishers defended its sectional championship on Thursday, edging out Hamilton Southeastern 3-2. (Photo provided)
The Tigers got early wins from Gavin Conrad at No. 2 singles and the No. 2 doubles team of Jack Huntley and Beau Wolf, who came back after dropping the first set. The Royals’ No. 1 doubles team of Tyler Rich and Landon Osswald won in two close sets; they will advance to the individual tournament next week.
Fishers’ No. 1 singles Aidan Foley was the clincher, coming back from a 6-0 first set to win the next two 6-2, 6-2. Leo McVeigh won Southeastern’s second match, taking the third set 6-1 after splitting tiebreaks in the first two sets.
The Tigers won their fourth sectional in program history and head to the Mount Vernon regional on Tuesday. Fishers will play the winner of the Richmond sectional; the championship match there is scheduled for Saturday morning.
No. 1 singles: Aidan Foley (F) def. Alex Piercy (HSE) 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 singles: Gavin Conrad (F) def. Brady Stump (HSE) 6-1, 6-4
No. 3 singles: Leo McVeigh (HSE) def. Dylan Campbell (F) 6-7, (5), 7-6 (2), 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Tyler Rich and Landon Osswald (HSE) def. Eshan Jain and Vaughn Curtis (F) 6-4, 7-6 (4)
No. 2 doubles: Jack Huntley and Beau Wolf (F) def. Ian Ransom and Logan Foust (HSE) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Noblesville also defended its sectional title, sweeping Lapel 5-0. (Photo provided)
Millers defend their title
Noblesville successfully defended its sectional championship on Thursday, beating Lapel 5-0 at the Millers’ tennis complex.
All of the matches were decided in straight sets. In singles play, No. 1 Ethan Feliciano won 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 Zane Panning was a 6-2, 6-2 winner and No. 3 Max Habel was victorious 6-1, 6-4. In doubles, No. 1 Jack Brenneman and Dane Campbell won their match 6-1, 6-2 while No. 2 Dustin Turpin and Parker Stallings picked up a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Noblesville picked up its sixth sectional championship in program history. The Millers will get to play in their own regional again, taking on Frankton in a Tuesday semifinal match.