For the first time since 2018, the Eagles knocked off state-ranked Fort Wayne Carroll on Wednesday evening at neutral site Norwell HS courts.

Unranked Delta won 3-2 over 28th-ranked Carroll by gaining victories at No. 2 singles and both doubles.

Carroll had beaten Delta four straight years (5-0 in 2022, 4-1 in 2021, 5-0 in 2020 and 4-1 in 2019).

Junior Kody Vest got things started at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Carroll senior Will Rudolph.  Those two had played each other in 2022 (varsity #3 singles) and 2021 (JV singles) and Rudolph had won both previous meetings.  This was an excellent win for Kody.

Carroll’s Andrew Jamison then evened the score with a 1-6, 1-6 victory over Simon Marlow at No. 1 singles.

The third match to finish was No. 2 doubles, where Aaron Elliott and Tyce Dishman earned a tough 6-4, 7-5 victory in a nip-and-tuck match.  Elliott and Dishman are 4-0 together at varsity this season.

With both remaining matches in the third set, the team result was still up for grabs.

Seniors Dalton Royal and Preston Shanayda ended the drama by dominating their third set for a 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Carroll’s Conner Gibson and Jaxon Sparks at No. 1 doubles.  Gibson was a first team All-State Doubles player a year ago.  Royal and Shanayda now are 14-3 together this season.  Both came up with many clutch shots in the latest victory.

Royal, who also won a varsity match with Will Kile when Shanayda was out earlier this season, now is 15-3 this season.  Wednesday’s victory was his 60th career varsity win. He becomes the 26th boy in DHS Tennis history to reach 60 varsity wins.  In the past few days he has passed current Delcom Supt. Greg Kile (57 wins) and recent grad Walker Boyle (58 wins)

In the evening’s final match at No. 3 singles,  Jake Bilby dropped a close result to Carroll junior Sam Nietert, 7-5, 3-6, (5-10).  They played a third-set tiebreaker because the team match already had been decided and there was not enough daylight left to play a full third set.

Carroll won the JV match 6-5, although several of the Chargers’ victories came in playback matches where Carroll players from higher positions were playing a second time against lower JV Delta players.  In the first seven doubles slots, Delta built a 5-2 lead. But Carroll won all four playback matches.

Winners for Delta were Caleb Hewitt/Will Kile, Ben Miller/Kaden Crist, Owen CuppJames Root, Alexander Smith/Colten Cruea, and Daniel TokarJason Ogle.

The Eagles (10-4 varsity, 6-3-1 JV) will compete on Saturday in the Peru JV Invitational against Peru, Huntington North and Culver Academies. The next varsity match will be Wednesday, Sept. 20 at conference opponent Pendleton Heights.

Complete results 

Varsity
Singles

1. Simon Marlow (D) lost to Jamison, 1-6, 1-6
2. Kody Vest (D) def. Rudolph, 6-1, 6-3
3. Jake Bilby (D) lost to Nietert, 7-5, 3-6, (5-10)

Varsity
Doubles

1. Dalton Royal/Preston Shanayda (D) def. Gibson/Sparks, 7-5, 5-7, 6-1
2. Tyce Dishman / Aaron Elliott (D) def. Mettler/Drummer, 6-4, 7-5

JV Doubles

1. Kam Swoboda / Brady Williams lost 4-8
2. Will Kile / Caleb Hewitt won 8-3
3. Ben Miller / Kaden Crist won 8-5
4. Owen Cupp / James Root won 8-5
5. Jacob Williams ./ Ayden Mitchell lost 3-8
6. Alexander Smith / Colten Cruea won 8-2
7. Jason Ogle / Daniel Tokar won 8-5
8. James Engle / Hanson Heintzelman lost 4-8
9. Maddox Weddle/Caden Moss lost 1-8
10. Justus Subler/Brandon Wagner lost 1-8
11. Grant Durkovich / Will Kile lost 3-8