Madelyn Sanders went into the girls tennis season battling for Columbus North’s No. 1 singles spot, but when Yijiang Zhao won that, Sanders began the year at No. 2 singles.
That lasted all of two matches before North coach Kendal Hammel decided to pair Sanders, a senior, with sophomore Eva Chevalier at No. 1 doubles.
“After Yijiang won the challenge matches, I felt like with our team setup that it was a little bit of a waste to put (Sanders) at 2 singles,” Hammel said. “Team-wise, I think we were a better team and stronger putting her and Eva together at 1 doubles. On top of that, putting her at 1 doubles gave her a shot to still play in the state tournament.”
This weekend, Sanders will have a chance to do that. She and Chevalier will play Lafayette Central Catholic seniors Lizzie Cramer and Sami Royer in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Friday at Park Tudor.
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If the Bull Dog duo wins, they would play at 10 a.m. Saturday against the winner between Columbus East’s Megna Chari and Kathryn Hodzen and Concord’s Keegan Thursby and Meaghan Godzisz. The final is at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“We definitely want to get to the finals, and we’ll see what happens after that,” Sanders said. “If they’re the best team out there or the worst team, we’re just going to go out and play our absolute best, and we’ll be proud if we win or lose because we know that we’ll have done everything we could.”
Sanders and Chevalier are 17-1 together at No. 1 doubles. Sanders was 2-0 at No. 2 singles and 1-0 at No. 1 singles, while Chevalier is 18-1 at No. 1 doubles and 1-0 at No. 2 singles.
The duo’s only loss came against top-ranked and team state champion Carmel in a match that went to a third-set tiebreaker.
“I think we’ve played about as well as we could have,” Sanders said. “Carmel was a bad loss for us, but I think all of our other matches, we really battled. We made it through, and each match, we go in with a fresh mindset ready to compete.”
Sanders played No. 1 doubles as a freshman. She moved to No. 3 singles as a sophomore, then played No. 2 singles last season.
Now, she’s glad to be back at No. 1 doubles.
“I was so happy, honestly,” Sanders said. “No. 1 singles is known for being one of the spots that is extremely competitive. Girls across the state train their whole lives to play that spot. I think being at No. 1 doubles gave us a better chance, especially because we work well together with our playing styles.”
Chevalier played No. 2 doubles with Ali Bergman last year.
“Last year, me and Ali were playing against people kind of our level,” Chevalier said. “Going up to No. 1 doubles is really a step up because they hit harder and are more competitive.”
Sanders and Chevalier are the first North girls to qualify for state since Sydney Anderson and Sara Vanderkolk did it in 2013. The Bull Dogs have one state champion in Caroline Hedrick, who won the singles title in 2008 and was state runner-up in 2007 and 2009.
If North gets past the first two rounds, it likely would play an undefeated Cathedral duo in the final.
“I like our draw,” Hammel said. “We’re in the opposite bracket of Cathedral, who by far has to be the favored team. That was the biggest thing — having a chance maybe to get to the state finals.”
Sanders and Chevalier advanced to the state tourney by remaining unbeaten in the postseason. They won their No. 1 doubles match during the Bull Dogs’ 4-1 loss to Jasper in the Jasper Semistate.
“We knew at the beginning of the season we had a chance to get there, but it didn’t really become a reality until we finished that match, and we’ve just been excited ever since,” Sanders said.
Making it to state took Chevalier by surprise.
“We played really well and really hard during the season, and I’m so amazed about us going to state,” Chevalier said. “I did not expect it. I feel like we’re going to play amazing if we play against a good team or a bad team. We’ve battled through tough matches before, so I think we’ll do fine.”
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Girls Doubles State Finals
at Park Tudor High School
Admission: $5 each day
Quarterfinals, 2 p.m. Friday
Columbus North’s Madelyn Sanders and Eva Chevalier (17-1) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic’s Lizzie Cramer and Sami Royer (12-6)
Columbus East’s Megna Chari and Kathryn Hodzen (12-0) vs. Concord’s Keegan Thursby and Meaghan Godzisz (14-4)
Penn’s Ali Kumfer and Alexis Snelson (19-2) vs. Zionsville’s Anna Campbell and Lauren Campbell (14-3)
Semifinals, 10 a.m. Saturday
Columbus North-LCC winner vs. Columbus East-Concord winner
Cathedral’s Claire Koscielski and Meg Coleman (17-0) vs. Penn-Zionsville winner
Championship, 2 p.m. Saturday
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