Tennis: Greyhounds best Fishers at dual meet

By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
CARMEL – The Carmel and Fishers boys tennis teams faced off Tuesday in an all-county dual meet at the Greyhounds’ Todd Witsken Tennis Center.
Carmel won the meet 5-0, but it was a hard-fought decision. The No. 1 doubles and singles matches were both close, with the singles competition going down to the wire.
The Greyhounds’ Johnny Yang and the Tigers’ Reese Knoderer, two of the top players in the state, played for over two hours. They wound up playing a tiebreak at 4-4 in the third set, rather than the customary 6- 6, due to impending darkness. Yang won the tiebreak 7-5, giving him the match by a score of 6-2, 3-6, 5-4 (5).
“It really helps my confidence a lot,” said Yang, who is in his first year playing No. 1 singles for Carmel. “I didn’t start off the season the best. My first match I didn’t play my best, but I feel like as the season is progressing, I’m getting a lot better this week with my confidence.”
At No. 1 doubles, the Greyhounds team of Braedon McIntyre and Drew Kim were stretched in both sets by Fishers’ Thomas Bender and Jack Butler after winning the first set 6-4. The second set went to a tiebreak that the Carmel team won 7-0.
“They responded very well tonight,” said ‘Hounds coach Dan Brunette of the challenge his team received. “One singles match was one of the hardest-hitting matches we’ve seen the entire season. Both players were seeing the ball pretty well, moving very well. A lot of long points were they were hitting the ball with a lot of topspin, a lot of velocity.”
“That one could have been on ESPN,” said Fishers coach Dave Heffern of the match. “That was that good.”
The other matches were decided in straight sets. No. 2 singles Jack Jentz got an early test from Fishers’ Matthew Kordesh before pulling away for a 6-3, 6-1 victory. No. 3 singles Rocky Li and the No. 2 doubles team of Drew Willman and Charlie Hall each won their matches 6-1, 6-1.
“Always trying to get better every day, that’s the motto,” said Brunette. “These guys are doing their part.
It’s been an enjoyable experience here for me my first year.”
Carmel has dual meets with Brebeuf Jesuit and Plainfield on its schedule in the coming days, while Fishers travels to Hamilton Southeastern for the Hoosier Crossroads Conference meet.
“This is why we want to play all the best teams in the state, so we can see where we’re at,” said Heffern.

CARMEL 5, FISHERS 0
No. 1 singles: Johnny Yang def. Reese Knoderer 6-2, 3-6, 5-4 (5)
No. 2 singles: Jack Jentz def. Matthew Kordesh 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 singles: Rocky Li def. Aidan Foley 6-1, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Braedon McIntyre and Drew Kim def. Thomas Bender and Jack Butler 6-4, 7-6 (0)
No. 2 doubles: Drew Willman and Charlie Hall def. Cooper Vallance and Ryan Nittoli 6-1, 6-1