Thursday afternoon at Carmel High School’s Todd Witsken Tennis Center, something happened that proved that maybe things are getting back to normal in 2021: The Greyhounds’ girls tennis team won a sectional championship.
Carmel, ranked No. 1 in the state, beat No. 18 Guerin Catholic 4-1 to win the program’s 29th consecutive sectional title and 37th overall. Last year, there was no sectional due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Greyhounds were happy to bring back this familiar rite of spring.
“We were excited to get back in the tournament again,” said Carmel coach Bryan Hanan. “I feel for these girls, they missed out on it.”
The ‘Hounds were challenged this year by improved teams from Westfield and the Golden Eagles, both of whom are ranked in the top 20. Carmel beat the No. 13 Shamrocks on Wednesday in the semi-finals before taking on Guerin Catholic Thursday.
“It seems like it’s been a long time ago, and two years has been a long time,” said Hanan.
The Greyhounds won all four of their matches in straight sets. The seniors played well, with No. 2 singles Leila Antony winning 6-0, 6-1 and the No. 2 doubles team of Anjali Natarajan and Katelyn Conley getting a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Freshman Nora Perkins stepped up with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles. The No. 1 doubles team of junior Hallie Reeves and sophomore Alexa Lewis was a 6-3, 6-0 winner.
“That’s why we play the schedule we do,” said Hanan. “We were a little tight at first, but we figured it out. It’s just a process of, can we get early nerves out. If we can get our nerves out early, we’re a pretty tough team, especially both those spots with Nora, as well as our 1 doubles team.
Golden Eagles senior Ellen Gardner won the No. 1 singles match 6-4, 6-3. That qualifies her for the individual singles tournament, which begins next week.
“I think I was definitely nervous going out there,” said Gardner. “I think obviously, I can always improve, but I’m definitely happy that I was able to get the job done.”
Guerin Catholic coach Becky Ragsdale was happy with her entire team, saying it had a great day.
“I thought they came out and competed against a very, very tough team,” said Ragsdale. “I think they came out with some confidence today. I think this is the longest we’ve ever made Carmel stay out here in a sectional final. Usually, it’s like 30 minutes and we’re done.”
The Golden Eagles finished the season with a top-20 ranking and also won the Circle City Conference championship, doing so against tough teams such as Brebeuf Jesuit, Roncalli and Heritage Christian.
“I thought we had a great season,” said Ragsdale. She pointed out that this is the second time in three years that the Golden Eagles won their conference, and held their own against other top 10 teams on the schedule.
Carmel advances to the Kokomo regional, where it will take on the winner of the Kokomo sectional Tuesday in the semi-finals. Northwestern and Western will play for the Kokomo sectional title this afternoon.
CARMEL 4, GUERIN CATHOLIC 1
No. 1 singles: Ellen Gardner (GC) def. Thea Bertolini (C) 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 singles: Leila Antony (C) def. Brittany Witsken (GC) 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 singles: Nora Perkins (C) def. Kathryn Tiplick (GC) 6-2, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Alexa Lewis and Hallie Reeves (C) def. Natalie Mowid and Kelly Igo (GC) 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 doubles: Anjali Natarajan and Katelyn Conley (C) def. Josie Turner and Emma Oakley (GC) 6-0, 6-2
Over at Noblesville, No. 9-ranked Fishers beat the No. 21 Millers 4-1 to claim its first sectional title since 2013 and third overall.
The Tigers swept all three singles matches, including a 6-0, 6-0 victory from No. 1 singles Lucy Loy. No. 2 Isabelle Mokra and No. 3 Caroline Ober both won in straight sets as well. The No. 2 doubles team of Madelyn Baron and Meredith Ober split two 6-2 sets with Noblesville’s Sierra Leach and Lina Hamashuk, then the Fishers team prevailed in a third set super tiebreak 10-8.
The Millers’ No. 1 doubles team of Kaylee David and Katelyn Decker won its match 6-2, 6-2 and will advance to next week’s individual tournament.
The Tigers team will play at the North Central regional on Tuesday, taking on the winner of the Mount Vernon sectional. The No. 27-ranked Marauders play Greenfield-Central this afternoon for the championship.
FISHERS 4, NOBLESVILLE 1
No. 1 singles: Lucy Loy (F) def. Alli Maskew (N) 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 singles: Isabelle Mokra (F) def. Allie Stamm (N) 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 singles: Caroline Ober (F) def. Josie Flinchum (N) 6-1, 6-0
No. 1 doubles: Kaylee David and Katelyn Decker (N) def. Kirah Fuller and Addy Kolb (F) 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 doubles: Madelyn Baron and Meredith Ober (F) def. Sierra Leach and Lina Hamashuk (N) 2-6, 6-2, 10-8