The postseason started successfully for Delta boys’ tennis with a 5-0 shutout victory over Muncie Burris in the opening round of the Delta Sectional on Wednesday evening.
The Eagles used their familiar formula of team depth and strong mental focus to limit Burris to just seven total games in the match.
That efficiency may have prevented some fans from noticing how hard Burris competed in the match. But the Owls, 13-5 under first-year coach Mason Wrisley, gave everything they had from start to finish on every court. Three of their seven players were Indiana Academy students who were a part of successful tennis programs at large schools: Columbus North, Michigan City and Crown Point.
The 13th-ranked Eagles, using a lineup of three freshmen, a sophomore, a junior and two seniors, responded well to the challenge. They improved to 18-2 overall with their 12th shutout of the season.
Delta will face Yorktown (a 5-0 winner over Muncie Central) at 4:45 p.m. today (Thursday) for the sectional title. The Eagles will be seeking their 33rd consecutive sectional championship, which is the third-longest active streak in the state behind Munster (44) and Floyd Central (38).
No. 1 singles player Jackson Darby defeated Shashwat Sabapathy 6-1, 6-0. Sabapathy played at Columbus North HS before joining the Indiana Academy this year.
Charlie Vannatter earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Viktor Ducey, a senior Academy student from Michigan City. Ducey collected more than 60 career varsity victories.
Luke Atkinson was spotless at No. 3 singles, winning 6-0, 6-0 over Nolan Clark.
At No. 1 doubles, Aaron Elliott and Tyce Dishman gained a 6-0, 6-2 victory over John Eenigenburg and William Villaluz. Eenigenburg is an Academy senior from Crown Point.
The victory was the 50th varsity win of Elliott’s career. He becomes the 40th player in DHS boys’ tennis history to reach that milestone.
At No. 2 doubles, Ben Miller and Brandon Grubbs won 6-0, 6-1 over Jason Fang and Cameron Milleman.
Due to a staggered start, the team match already had been decided by the early part of the matches involving Miller/Grubbs and Atkinson. That sometimes can result in non-focused, lethargic play. But to the credit of all the players involved in those matches, everyone stayed locked in and played extremely well.
The winner of tonight’s championship match will advance to the Noblesville Regional next Tuesday evening. The other participants will be winners from the Noblesville Sectional (Westfield vs. Noblesville in finals); the Jay County Sectional (Randolph Southern vs. Jay County in the finals); and the Alexandria Sectional (Alexandria vs. Frankton in the finals).