Tennis begins with serving.
And that’s just what the Delta girls’ tennis team did to start the season on Thursday evening.
The Eagles first “served” by giving 45 minutes of free instruction and fun for the middle school tennis team.
Then the team opened its season with a hard-fought 3-2 varsity victory over the Franklin Community Grizzly Cubs. Franklin, a school of about 1,600 students just south of Indianapolis, has been state-ranked for the past three years and reached the IHSAA State Finals in 2023 and 2024.
Delta swept doubles with two new partnerships. Seniors Rowan Hinds and Elizabeth Bamidele teamed up at No. 2 doubles for a strong 6-0, 6-1 victory. Senior Kate Manor and junior Alexa Bratton partnered at No. 1 doubles for a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Franklin senior Marnie Moore collected the Grizzly Cubs’ first point with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Delta freshman Sophie Crabtree. The two players slugged it out with strong groundstrokes in the first set before Moore took control in the second set. Moore was All-State Singles last season and All-State Doubles two years ago.
Delta senior Olivia Marshall then clinched the team victory with a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles over senior Madison Luse. Marshall trailed 1-4 in the opening set before figuring out a winning pattern and claiming 12 of the final 15 games.
No. 3 singles was the longest match o the night. Delta senior Stella Sieber faced a talented freshman, and the match featured many long rallies. Sieber won the first set 6-3, but her opponent evened the match by taking the second set 1-6. Since the team match already had been determined and Franklin faced a nearly two-hour bus ride home, the decision was made to play a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a full third set. Franklin won the tiebreak 10-4.
Delta’s varsity is 1-0, while Franklin now stands at 2-1 after earlier victories over Plainfield and East Central.
In JV action, the teams tied at two matches each.
Winners were freshman Paige Hayes and junior Addy Anderson (8-6 at #1D) and freshman Mia Elliott and junior Maddy Polito (8-1 at #2D)
Delta returns to the court on Monday with a home conference match against Greenfield-Central, then travels to tennis powerhouse Carmel on Tuesday.
Complete Results:
Varsity
Singles
- Sophie Crabtree (D) lost to Marnie Moore (F), 4-6, 0-6
- Olivia Marshall (D) def. Madison Luse (F), 7-5, 6-2
- Stella Sieber (D) lost to Kate Williams (F), 6-3, 1-6, (4-10)
Doubles
- Kate Manor/Alexa Bratton (D) def. Olivia Sappenfield/Keeley Alexander (F), 6-4, 6-4
- Rowan Hinds/Elizabeth Bamidele (D) def. Melanie Flora/Remy Davidson (F), 6-0, 6-1
JV Doubles
#1 Doubles
Maddi Cox / Avery Gray lost 5-8
Paige Hayes / Addy Anderson won 8-6
#2 Doubles
Maggie Ratts/Mylee Jones lost 4-8
Mia Elliott / Maddy Polito won 8-1