The Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern boys tennis teams successfully defended their sectional championships on Thursday.
The top-ranked Greyhounds took the first step in their quest for a fifth consecutive state title by winning their own sectional at the Todd Witsken Tennis Center. Carmel beat No. 12 Guerin Catholic 4-1 for its 11th straight sectional crown and 34th overall.
“As many as we’ve won in the last four years, it’s never been easy,” said Greyhounds coach Bryan Hanan. “We just take it one step at a time. We take it one week at a time. It’s always a battle. That’s what we expect. We’re just happy to play Tuesday in the regional at Kokomo, so that’s what we’ll worry about next.”
Carmel did get a battle from the Golden Eagles. The Greyhounds got the points they needed from both doubles, with the No. 1 team of Jones McNamar and Srisanth Malpeddi winning 6-0, 6-0. The No. 2 team of Ethan Eckhart and Corbin King were pushed to 7-5 in the first set, then took the second set 6-0.
Eli Mercer won at No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-2. At No. 3 singles, Guerin’s Max Fuller won the first set 6-3 before Carmel’s Jack Jentz came back to win the next two 6-3, 6-1.
“They’re ranked as high as they are for a reason,” Hanan said of the Golden Eagles. “We knew they’re a good team. They came out and competed with us tonight.
“They didn’t just show up tonight,” said Hanan. “They came here to win tonight. That’s why I have a lot of respect for what they do over there.”
The Golden Eagles got their win at No. 1 singles, with Cole Metzger taking that match 6-3, 6-1. Metzger will advance to the individual tournament, which begins next week.
“Our kids played real hard,” said GC coach Chris Scauidone. “They played their hearts out. Tonight we were the team that we thought we were all year, and we really showed tonight. We really showed up and played hard and I couldn’t be more proud of the boys, couldn’t be more happy for Cole.”
The Golden Eagles finished their season 14-6 and won two invitationals.
Carmel will play in the regional semi-finals at Kokomo Tuesday, taking on the winner of the Logansport sectional. Rain delayed competition at that site, pushing the semi-finals back to today. Delphi takes on Twin Lakes in one semi-finals, with Carroll playing Lewis Cass in the other semi-final.
ROYALS WIN TOP 10 BATTLE
Hamilton Southeastern won its own sectional by beating rival Fishers 4-1. It was a battle of top 10 teams, with the Royals ranked No. 10 and the Tigers rated No. 9.
Southeastern won all four of its matches in straight sets. In singles, No. 1 Aiden De Witt, No. 2 Rohan Golla and No. 3 Andrew Orme all were victorious, in addition to the No. 1 doubles team of Andrew Spirrison and Paul Schneider. The wins also keep De Witt and Spirrison/Schneider in the hunt for a trip to the individual tournament.
Fishers got its win at No. 2 doubles, with Drew Barker and Logan Kay coming back from a set down for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
The Royals won their 12th sectional title in program history. They will head to the North Central regional on Tuesday to take on the host and No. 3-ranked Panthers in the semi-finals.
CARMEL 4, GUERIN CATHOLIC 1
No. 1 singles: Cole Metzger (GC) def. Broc Fletcher (C) 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Eli Mercer (C) def. Ty Harrington (GC) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 singles: Jack Jentz (C) def. Max Fuller (GC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Jones McNamar and Srisanth Mapleddi (C) def. Jason Kolb and Bradley Getts (GC) 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 doubles: Ethan Eckhart and Corbin King (C) def. Thomas Darland and Zach Thieme (GC) 7-5, 6-0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 4, FISHERS 1
No. 1 singles: Aiden De Witt (HSE) def. Reese Knoderer (F) 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 singles: Rohan Golla (HSE) def. Tate Warner (F) 6-1, 6-4
No. 3 singles: Andrew Orme (HSE) def. Matthew Kordesh (F) 6-3, 6-2
No. 1 singles: Andrew Spirrison and Paul Schneider (HSE) def. Andrew Leonard and Nate Simkins (F) 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 singles: Drew Barker and Logan Kay (F) def. Abhi Chaddha and Evan Wang (HSE) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Hamilton Southeastern defended its sectional championship on Thursday, beating rival Fishers 4-1. The Royals will play North Central Tuesday at the Panthers’ Barbara Wynne Tennis Center. (Photo provided)