Delta won 11 of 15 individual matches on Saturday and placed second in the 8-team Delta Invitational.
The 22nd-ranked Eagles blanked Kokomo 5-0, then shut out Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 5-0 in the second round. The Eagles fell 4-1 to 15th-ranked Hamilton Southeastern in the championship.
Senior No. 1 singles player Gwendolyn Clark was the star of the day for the Eagles. For the first time in her high school tennis career, she went 3-0 at one of our rugged Saturday invitationals.
She started the day with an exciting third-set tiebreak victory over Kokomo’s Raigan Heflin. In round two, she topped Chatard easily. And in round three, she beat Hamilton Southeastern, who had to sub in to the position due to illness.
Gwen is now 10-5 for the season and has won 9 of her last 10 matches at the top singles position.
Also on a hot streak is sophomore Gabby Knight at No. 2 singles. She won a third-set breaker against Kokomo in round one and easily defeated Chatard in round two. Then she built a 4-1 first-set lead over HSE before her opponent regained control of the match and handed her a defeat. Gabby is 10-5 for the season and has won 9 of her last 11 matches.
At No. 3 singles, freshmen Brylee Beckley and Kelsey Vest shared time on Saturday. Brylee won against Kokomo, and Kelsey won against Chatard. Brylee then played the finals against HSE and dropped a 1-6, 3-6 decision. Our young players continue to improve at that position.
At No. 1 doubles, Maggie Hunt and Janet Wegener dropped only one game in their victories over Kokomo and Chatard to run their winning streak to 13 matches in a row. That streak then was snapped in the championship when they fell 4-6, 3-6 to HSE’s Misha Bukkasagaram and Emily Orme, who were state finalists in doubles a year ago. Janet and Maggie (13-2 this spring) had plenty of chances in this match but were unable to capitalize at key moments. We will learn and grow from the loss.
At No. 2 doubles, Madelyn Haley and Iva Witter improved their record to 10-4 for the season as they beat Kokomo and Chatard and then lost 4-6, 1-6 to HSE. Madelyn and Iva have won 10 of their last 12. Their only losses this season have been to Hamilton County powerhouses Carmel, Westfield (twice) and HSE. Madelyn and Iva still have plenty to learn in their first season of full-time varsity action, but they are quietly putting together a strong record. Expect continued improvement at that position.
At the JV level, Kelsey Vest went 1-1 Saturday, Caitlyn Kirby went 1-1, and Hailey Conner went 1-2.
The final standings for the tournament were:
1. Hamilton Southeastern
2. Delta
3. Bishop Chatard
4. Fort Wayne Carroll
5. Kokomo
6. Brown County
7. Muncie Burris
8. Yorktown
Next up for Delta will be the 10th annual SmashCancer match, which is scheduled for Tuesday at the new Yorktown HS courts. The pre-match ceremony should begin at 4:45 with the match to start around 5:15. Keep your eye out for any weather-related changes to that schedule as Tuesday’s forecast is iffy.
On Wednesday, the Eagles host rival Marion at 4:45 p.m.