LEBANON — Fountain Central and Crawfordsville girls tennis after both winning sectional titles a week ago squared off in the post-season on Tuesday at Lebanon. The two area foes met up in the regional semi-finals and as expected it was another fun match between the two best teams in the area. The Mustangs secured their second 3-2 win over CHS this season and moved on to Wednesday regional final.
Fountain Central, who improved to 15-1 on the season, got their three wins from senior Haley Webb at one singles as Webb defeated Crawfordsville’s Sam Rohr 6-4, 6-4 and both doubles teams. Hannah Prickett and Alydia Mellady defeated Isla Steward and Alayna Hall 6-1, 6-1 while the Mustangs two doubles team of Lilly Peterson and Josie Harshbarger defeated Amy Weliver and Emma Buser 7-5, 7-5.
Crawfordsville’s wins came at two and three singles as Reagan Cox battled through some heat exhaustion to defeat Elise Webb 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. In her final match of her career with CHS, Emily Weliver was able to pick up a 6-4, 6-4 win over the Mustangs Laney Hoagland.
“Our one doubles team for the last three weeks have absolutely turned a corner with their play,” Fountain Central coach David Kight said of both Prickett and Mellady. “They’re now playing to the level that Coach (Chris) Webb and I thought they could be. They’re now I think starting to realize their potential. Points aren’t lasting that long and everything they’re doing is exactly what we’re asking of them.
"I’ll give credit to Sam and how that was probably the toughest match she’s given Haley in two years. She gave Haley everything she had, but thankfully Haley was able to still come out on top. I’m proud of our two doubles team because that’s a match we wouldn’t have won just a few weeks ago. Lilly and Josie have matured so much at that spot and they won the last two matches of each set to close it out.”
Crawfordsville ends its season with a 12-7 record and its fourth straight sectional title and graduates three seniors in Rohr and the Weliever sisters.
“The girls left it all out there and that’s all I can really ask for,” Crawfordsville coach Kara Amundson said. “Fountain Central is a great team and they came to win and you saw their intensity level was just a bit higher than ours. Sam has nothing to be ashamed of and she’s been a staple player for us for three years now at one singles. It’s going to be weird not seeing her out on the court next year. I’m proud of the way her and both Emily and Amy have played this season.”
Wednesday marks just the second time in school history that the Mustangs will play for a Regional title. Fountain Central will now get to take on the Carmel Greyhounds. Kight notes how it doesn’t matter who is in front of them, his team wants to go out and play their best tennis.
“For us to be at this level and have the opportunity to play a Carmel and play for a Regional title, that speaks volumes about where we are as a program,” Kight said. “The talent level that Carmel possesses isn’t going to be like anything we’ve ever seen, but if our attitudes and effort is good along with us just trying to go out there and play our best, it doesn’t matter who we face. Here we are about to play one of the top 10 teams in the state and we’re maxing out what we can get out of this season and that’s our ultimate goal as coaches.”
Mounties Hanna Long caps career at regional
Southmont senior Hanna Long played in the individual tournament at Lebanon on Tuesday and took on Zionsville’s Lucy King. Long saw her tennis career come to an end for the Mounties losing to King 6-0, 6-0. The match wasn’t the focus for South coach Rob Reimondo who praised his senior for the career that she’s had these last four years.
“Hanna has worked very hard, spending countless hours on the courts and has been a mainstay for Southmont tennis for four years,” Reimondo said. “What she has meant to our program cannot be replaced.”
