The good shots kept coming Monday night — before, during and after the match against Pendleton Heights.
Before the match, 10 seniors were honored for their outstanding accomplishments on and off the courts.
During the match, those seniors led the way to a 6-1 varsity victory over the Arabians to remain in control of the Hoosier Heritage Conference standings. Delta is 12-1 overall and 5-0 in the HHC.
And after the match, the best was still to come. In the post-match huddle, each of the 10 seniors delivered a “life lesson” — a piece of advice that they think could help younger team members.
All seniors who were eligible to play competed at the varsity level.
Seniors Olivia Marshall and Stella Sieber won easily at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
Senior Kate Manor teamed with junior Alexa Bratton to win 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. The victory was Kate’s 86th career varsity win, which ties Hayley Hall and Kristin Crider for first place all-time among DHS girls’ tennis players. Kate owns a career record of 86 wins, 13 losses.
Seniors Rowan Hinds and Elizabeth Bamidele won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles. They are 16-0 for the season and each are four-year varsity players. Rowan is on track to finish among the top five career victory leaders.
Seniors Audrey Anderson and Ella Marcum played No. 3 varsity doubles. This was their first-ever varsity match. They won -7-6 (5), 6-3.
Seniors Noelle Longsworth and Sammi Raleigh also got to play varsity for the first time. They battled close at No. 4 doubles but fell 6-7 (3), 4-6.
Freshman Sophie Crabtree won the No. 1 singles match 6-1, 6-1 to improve to 12-4 for the season.
A 10th senior, Tru Swoboda, is medically unable to play this season but also was honored prior to the match. Tru won 17 JV matches in singles as both a junior and a sophomore and has remained active with helping the team this season despite being unable to play.
In JV action, the Eagles gained a 6-0 victory.
After the match, each senior gave their teammates some advice. Here are their comments, along with a quick summary of their future plans:
AUDREY ANDERSON (Miami University in Ohio, majoring in early childhood education and child life specialist) — “Do not worry about what others think. Be confident.”
ELIZABETH BAMIDELE (Purdue University, majoring in civil engineering with Lilly Scholarship) — “Take a second glance at people and situations. Forgive and forget.”
ROWAN HINDS (Anderson University, majoring in elementary education) — “Reflect after losses and learn from those mistakes.”
NOELLE LONGSWORTH (Summit Salon Academy in Anderson, studying cosmetology with goal of being a hair stylist) — “Don’t sell yourself short. You never know what you might be able to accomplish.”
KATE MANOR (Purdue University, majoring in elementary education) — “My mom always tells me, ‘Go hard and have fun.’ Don’t forget why you play sports. You play because it’s fun. Don’t lose track of the fact that it’s fun,”
ELLA MARCUM (Universal Technical Institute in Orlando, Florida, studying to be a marine technician) — “Be sure to live in the moment. Do not take your time for granted.”
OLIVIA MARSHALL (Ball State University, majoring in speech pathology) — “Say yes more often than you say no. Step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. This is where you will grow.”
SAMMI RALEIGH (Ball State University, majoring in astronomy and astrophysics) — “Follow your heart. You will do well in what you’re passionate about.”
STELLA SIEBER (Ball State University with an undeclared major) — “Don’t count down to the next thing all the time. Enjoy each day as it comes and don’t wish your time away.”
TRU SWOBODA (Indiana University, majoring in political science with a goal of becoming an attorney who would advocate for kids) — “Be intentional with relationships. Cut teachers and coaches some slack. Reach out to them and have conversations with them. They want the best for you.”
Thank you to athletic director Lynde Bratton for her work in organizing the senior celebration with pizza and cupcakes and beautiful decorations in the fitness center classroom. She made it look easy!
Next up for Delta is a road match at Fort Wayne Concordia tonight (Tuesday night) at 5:45 p.m.
Complete Results
DELTA 6, PENDLETON HEIGHTS 1
Varsity Singles
- Sophie Crabtree won 6-1, 6-1
- Olivia Marshall won 6-0, 6-0
- Stella Sieber won 6-0, 6-1
Varsity Doubles
- Kate Manor / Alexa Bratton won 6-1, 6-1
- Rowan Hinds / Elizabeth Bamidele won 6-1, 6-0
- Audrey Anderson / Ella Marcum won 7-6 (5), 6-3
- Noelle Longsworth / Sammi Raleigh lost 6-7 (3), 4-6
DELTA 6, PENDLETON HEIGHTS 0
JV Singles
- Addisen Condie won 6-1
- Ryanne Evans-Bales won 6-2
JV Doubles
- Bria Engle / Ilicia Ritter won 6-0
- Mylee Jones / Maggie Ratts won 6-1
- Karlie Obenski / Selah Plummer won 6-2
- Kinley Meekin / Zoey Parrott won 6-3