Enjoying its best day of the season, Delta Tennis placed runner-up in the eight-team Crawfordsville Invitational on Saturday.
Noblesville, ranked 9th in the state, won the tourney. Delta, ranked 22nd, placed second.
Those two teams went head-to-head in every flight and played several highly competitive matches.
The Eagles won the championship at No. 1 doubles as Kelsey Vest and Katie Manor won 6-4, 6-4 over a strong Noblesville squad in the finals. Vest and Manor beat McCutchen (6-1, 6-0) and Warren Central (6-1, 6-1) in the first two rounds.
The No. 2 doubles final came down to the wire with Rowan Hinds and Alexa Bratton falling to Noblesville, 6-7, 7-5 (7-10) in a long match. Hinds and Bratton had wins over Lake Central (6-0, 6-2) and Terre Haute North (6-3, 6-2) in the opening rounds.
The No. 2 singles final also was a Noblesville-Delta showdown. Brylee Beckley dropped a 4-6, 2-6 decision in the finals. Brylee beat Crawfordsville (6-2, 6-0) and Warren Central (6-0, 6-1) in the first two rounds.
At No. 1 singles, Gabby Knight went 2-1 to finish third. She beat Terre Haute North 6-0, 6-1 in the first round and gained a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Crawfordsville in the final round. Her best match, however, was in the second round when she played Noblesville’s Bella Duncan, a first team All-State selection a year ago and one of the state’s top players this season. Duncan won 7-6 (7), 6-2 as she survived two set points in the opening set.
At No. 3 singles, Elizabeth Bamidele finished fifth with wins over Terre Haute North (6-0, 6-1) and Lake Central (6-0, 6-1). She lost her opening match to Noblesville Josie Finchum, 2-6, 5-7. Elizabeth built a large lead in the second set but could not quite close the deal.
Caitlyn Kirby played three singles matches against extra players and finished 2-1, with a win over Lake Central, a loss to Noblesville, and a win over Noblesville.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
#9 Noblesville 55
#22 Delta 37
Crawfordsville 26
Bloomington North 17
Terre Haute North 15
McCutcheon 9
Lake Central 9
Warren Central 9
Next up for Delta is a week of road trips. The Eagles visit New Castle for a 5 p.m. conference match Monday, then play against Muncie Burris at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Ball State Cardinal Creek Tennis Center. On Thursday, the Eagles travel to New Palestine for a 5:45 p.m. match against the Dragons. Then the week ends with the 8-team Delta Invitational on Saturday, where Delta will play Bloomington South in the opening round at 8:30 a.m.