By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Westfield’s Alexandra Grilliot finished her freshman tennis season as state runner-up last weekend.
Grilliot began her run with a quarterfinal match last Friday, where she cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Lakeland senior Emma Danihelova. The matches were to be played at Park Tudor, but rainy conditions moved them to the University of Indianapolis Tennis Center on Indy’s south side.
Grilliot was unbothered by the change of venue, making quick work of her opponent. She played with variety, mixing her groundstrokes with soft shots, slice backhands and more than a few trips to the net for volley winners.
“I’ve been drop-shotting since I was 9, and I’ve always loved to come to the net, serve and volley,” said Grilliot. “It’s what makes tennis fun.”
The victory was Grilliot’s 20th of the season and kept her undefeated. Playing No. 1 singles for one of the top teams in Indiana is a big responsibility, but Grilliot is enjoying the ride, saying the experience is “not that stressful. It’s been fun.”
“The matches are definitely going to get harder, but the team experience has been really fun,” said Grilliot. “I’m looking forward to all the cheering.”
Grilliot was part of a semifinal lineup where all four players were unbeaten for the season. She played Providence senior Riley Trinkle in the semifinals last Saturday and prevailed in a three-set match.
Trinkle won the first set 7-6, with the tiebreaker going to 7-2. Grilliot came back to win the second set 7-5, then ran away with the third set by winning 6-0.
That victory moved Grilliot into the championship match, where she took on Warren Central junior Samaya Smith. Grilliot won the first set 6-2, but Smith took over in the next two sets, winning them 6-1, 6-2 to complete an undefeated season at 25-0. Grilliot finished her season 29-1.
Smith beat University junior Laurel Buttrick 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Buttrick finished her season 15-3.
“I just think she’s really good and I tried my best, and I think it was a good match,” said Buttrick, who was making her first appearance at the state meet.
“It was a good season,” said Buttrick. “I made it pretty far.”
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