The Carmel girls tennis team won its quarter-final match to open play at the IHSAA state tournament on Friday, advancing to this morning’s semi-finals.
The No. 1-ranked Greyhounds beat No. 3-ranked Park Tudor 3-2 in one of the two matches hosted by Center Grove. Carmel’s doubles teams were both winners: No. 1 Alexa Lewis and Hallie Reeves came from behind to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and No. 2 Katelyn Conley and Anjali Natarajan cruised to victory 6-2, 6-0. No. 2 singles Leila Antony also won, 6-3, 6-2.
The ‘Hounds will take on No. 6 Homestead in one of the two semi-final matches, which begin at 10 a.m. today at North Central’s Barbara Wynne Tennis Center. Homestead beat Sullivan 4-1 in the other quarter-final at Center Grove.
Carmel is making its 18th appearance at the state meet.
Meanwhile, up at Carmel’s Todd Witsken Tennis Center, No. 9 Fishers played at state for the first time. The Tigers fell to No. 10 Jasper 3-2.
Both of Fishers’ wins came in singles play. No. 1 Lucy Loy sailed to a 6-1, 6-2 victory, while No. 2 Isabelle Mokra won a match that went the total distance: Three tiebreakers that totaled 39 games. Mokra dropped the first set in a 9-7 tiebreaker, won the second set tiebreaker 7-4, and edged out a win in the third-set tiebreaker 9-7.
Loy’s victory keeps her unbeaten in post-season play, so she will advance to next week’s individual tournament.
Jasper plays No. 1-ranked South Bend St. Joseph in the other semi-final. The semi-final winners will play for the state championship at 2 p.m. today.
CARMEL 3, PARK TUDOR 2
No. 1 singles: Lauren Long (PT) def. Emma Brune (C) 7-5, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Leila Antony (C) def. Caitlin VanWinkle (PT) 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 singles: Caroline Kittle (PT) def. Nora Perkins (C) 7-5, 6-0
No. 1 doubles: Alexa Lewis and Hallie Reeves (C) def. Lauren Kittle and Caroline VanWinkle (PT) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 doubles: Katelyn Conley and Anjali Natarajan (C) def. Emma Bois and Kate Fryburg (PT) 6-2, 6-0
JASPER 3, FISHERS 2
No. 1 singles: Lucy Loy (F) def. Josie Yarbrough (J) 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 singles: Isabelle Mokra (F) def. Allie Schnarr (J) 6-7, (7), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7)
No. 3 singles: Ally Wigand (J) def. Caroline Ober (F) 6-4, 6-4
No. 1 doubles: Brailyn Whaley and Delaney Wigand (J) def. Kirah Fuller and Addy Kolb (F) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 doubles: Brynne Brosmer and Paige Geisler (J) def. Madelyn Baron and Meredith Ober (F) 6-2, 6-4