The Eagles displayed the grit and toughness that it takes to be champions on Saturday as they powered their way to the Delta Invitational title.
Obstacles included a morning rain delay, a stiff sustained wind, warm temperatures, and some strong opponents to play over the 9-hour day. And all of this with most of the players also eager to turn their attention to the Delta High School Prom later that evening.
Delta started the day with a 5-0 sweep of Bloomington South. The Eagles then gained a convincing 4-1 victory over Hamilton Southeastern, the first time Delta has beaten DHS since 2019. This set up a late afternoon championship match against Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, with Delta winning 3-2 for the tourney championship.
Delta, ranked 21st in the state, improved to 9-2 and ran its winning streak to seven straight matches.
Junior Brylee Beckley won all three of her matches Saturday at No. 2 singles. She won 37 games and dropped only 7 for the day. Her final round result was most impressive as she blitzed a Bishpp Chatard player 6-0, 6-0, avenging a three-set loss to the same player a year ago!
Delta also was dominant in doubles. Junior Kelsey Vest and sophomore Katie Manor won 36 games and dropped only 6 as they improved their season record to 13-1 at No. 1 doubles. They won 6-1, 6-3 over a pair of Hamilton Southeastern seniors who have posted some impressive victories this season. (One of the HSE players was second team All-State Doubles a year ago.)
Sophomore Rowan Hinds and freshman Alexa Bratton won 36 games and dropped 8 at No. 2 doubles. They have won nine of their last 10 matches as they are playing with more and more confidence.
Senior Gabby Knight went 2-1 at No. 1 singles with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Bloomington South and a strong 6-2, 6-2 victory over Hamilton Southeastern. In the final round, she played a tight first set against Chatard’s Cathy Beckmann before losing 5-7, 1-6. Beckmann earned second-team All-State Singles last season. Knight is now 10-4 this spring at No. 1 singles.
At No. 3 singles, sophomore Elizabeth Bamidele won her opening match against Bloomington South, 6-2, 6-2. She then put up a good fight against Hamilton Southeastern before losing 2-6, 5-7. In the final round, she lost to Bishop Chatard 2-6, 2-6.
The complete tourney standings:
- #21 Delta (3-0)
- Bishop Chatard (2-1)
- Hamilton Southeastern (2-1)
- #22 FW Carroll (1-2)
- Kokomo (2-1)
- Bloomington South (1-2)
- Muncie Burris (1-2)
- Lake Central (0-3)
In limited JV sets, sophomore Tru Swoboda went 2-0. Anna Marcum, Ella Marcum and Marley Dowling also got to play but did not win.
The next match for Delta will be the 12th annual SmashCancer match at Yorktown on Tuesday. The pre-match ceremonies will begin at 5 p.m., with the match to follow.