In a 24-hour period from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon, the Eagles traveled twice to Mt. Vernon courts and played three matches to end the regular season.
As always, there were some highlights for the weekend:
- The 20th-ranked Eagles lost 4-1 to 14th-ranked Center Grove on Friday night. Senior Gabby Knight won 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles as she continued her outstanding season. Two other matches went to third sets. Sophomore Elizabeth Bamidele moved up to No. 2 singles due to Brylee Beckley’s sickness, and Elizabeth battled for three hours before falling 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 in an exciting match full of long, tough points. The No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Rowan Hinds and freshman Alexa Bratton had three match points in their second set but lost a heartbreaker, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 2-6.
- Center Grove played 5 seniors among its top seven players. Delta had 1 senior, 1 junior, 4 sophomores and 1 freshman.
- The Eagles swept Shelbyville 5-0 on Saturday morning. This completed the Hoosier Heritage Conference season as Delta finished with a 6-1 record and in second place. Mt. Vernon, bolstered by an All-State move=in and an exchange student, won its first HHC title since 2009 and ended Delta’s 80-match league winning streak during an April match. But following that loss, Delta won its other six conference matches and went 32-0 in the individual singles and doubles matches.
- Against Shelbyville, the highlight was sophomore Olivia Marshall (playing in Beckley’s absence) who gained a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles and secured her first varsity letter. Kelsey Vest and Katie Manor won 6-1, 6-0 for their 19th win of the season.
- On Saturday afternoon, the Eagles picked up a match against 7th-ranked Franklin Community to make up for an earlier rainout against Carmel. Franklin gained a 5-0 victory and continued its unbeaten season. At No. 2 doubles, Hinds and Bratton pushed the Grizzlies to the limit before losing 2-6, 7-5, (7-10) in a third-set tiebreaker. Franklin’s No. 2 doubles team is undefeated for the season, so it was a good effort that came up just a bit short. Another strong result came at No. 1 singles, where Gabby Knight lost 3-6, 3-6 to Rylee Wilkison, who will be a four-time All-State Singles player at the end of this season. Marshall lost 3-6, 3-6 at No. 3 singles, also.
The regular season is now over. Delta has a record of 15-4. Its losses have been to #7 Franklin, #14 Center Grove, #16 Mt. Vernon and #17 Westfield. The Eagles picked up victories over #22 Hamilton Southeastern and #24 Bishop Chatard.
The JV team finished with a record of 11-5. All but one of the team’s 35 active players got to play at least 10 matches this season.
Two sophomores, Stelle Sieber and Azri Richey, missed the season with injuries.
Next up will be the Delta Sectional. The drawing will take place Monday night at the IHSAA headquarters with the tourney beginning at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday for the opening round match. Delta will play either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the draw. Other teams in the sectional include Muncie Burris, Yorktown and Muncie Central.
COMPLETE RESULTS
DELTA 1, CENTER GROVE 4
Varsity Singles
- Gabby Knight won 6-4, 6-3
- Elizabeth Bamidele lost 6-3, 3-6, 4-6
- Olivia Marshall lost 2-6, 1-6
Varsity Doubles
- Kelsey Vest/Katie Manor lost 0-6, 3-6
- Rowan Hinds/Alexa Bratton lost 6-4, 6-7 (5), 2-6
JV Singles
- Caitlyn Kirby lost 0-6
- Caitlyn Kirby lost 6-7 (5)
- Tru Swoboda lost 2-8
- Addy Anderson won 8-6
- Hannah Swanson lost 1-8
JV Doubles
- Marley Dowling/Anna Marcum lost 1-6
- Audrey Anderson / Ella Marcum lost 0-6
- Jocelyn Moody / Mylee Jones won 6-2
- Grace Flowers / Sam Diaz lost 2-6
- Mackemzie Lipps / Avery Barnes lost 1-8
- Sammi Raleigh / Maggie Ratts lost 0-8
- Noelle Longsworth / Ava Flowers lost 2-8
- Blaysha Downing / Madison Sanchez lost 3-8
- Chloe Oliver / Ashlynn Sparks lost 1-8
- Karlie Obenski / Jax Hines lost 1-8
- Avery Ayres / Caitie Wright lost 1-8
DELTA 5, SHELBYVILLE 0
Varsity Singles
- Gabby Knight won 6-1, 6-2
- Elizabeth Bamidele won 6-1, 6-4
- Olivia Marshall won 6-2, 6-3
Varsity Doubles
- Kelsey Vest/Katie Manor won 6-1, 6-0
- Rowan Hinds/Alexa Bratton won 6-1, 6-0
JV Singles
- Caitlyn Kirby won 6-2
- Tru Swoboda won 6-2
- Addy Anderson won 6-1
- Sammi Raleigh lost 1-6
JV Doubles
- Marley Dowling/Anna Marcum won 6-0
- Jocelyn Moody / Mylee Jones won 6-4
- Audrey Anderson / Ella Marcum won 6-2
- Maggie Ratts / Sam Diaz won 6-0
- Noelle Longsworth / Ilicia Ritter lost 2-6
- Mackemzie Lipps / Ava Flowers lost 6-7 (5)
DELTA 0, FRANKLIN 5
Varsity Singles
- Gabby Knight lost 3-6, 3-6
- Elizabeth Bamidele lost 0-6, 2-6
- Olivia Marshall lost 3-6, 3-6
Varsity Doubles
- Kelsey Vest/Katie Manor lost 2-6, 4-6
- Rowan Hinds/Alexa Bratton lost 2-6, 7-5, (7-10)
JV Singles
- Tru Swoboda lost 1-8
JV Doubles
- Marley Dowling/Anna Marcum lost 1-8