Columbus North’s Lucy Bergman, left, stays in position close to the net as teammate Grace Conner hits a shot in a No. 1 doubles sectional tennis match against Edinburgh at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
After more than a week off since its last regular-season girls tennis match, 12th-ranked Columbus North wanted to shake off a little rust when it hosted Edinburgh Wednesday in the opening round of the North Sectional.
The Bull Dogs were able to do that while cruising to a 5-0 victory.
“We haven’t played in awhile, so this was just a good match for us to come out and play and get the nerves out for postseason,” junior Kathryn Wilson said. “I think we did really well. I think this is what (coach) Kendal (Hammel) wanted us to come out here and do, and we accomplished that, so that was good.”
The win sets up a matchup between the North (15-4) and Columbus East (9-11) in today’s 4:30 p.m. semifinals. Hauser (10-6) and Brown County (11-7) will play in the other semifinal at the same time, and the final is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Wilson and Aya Saad gave the Bull Dogs a quick 2-0 lead Wednesday. Wilson posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Jessica Walsh at No. 1 singles, and Saad beat Zoey Sida 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles.
North also got a 6-0, 6-0 win from Siri Poludasu and Nino Akhalaya against Mia Dodson and Lily Turner at No. 2 doubles. Annabelle Sun topped Izzy Richardson 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, and Grace Conner and Lucy Bergman defeated Gracie Myers and Jillian Turner 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.
“The main thing was going out there and not messing around,” Hammel said. “We were going to have to generate the power, move our feet, stay focused and do what we needed to do. For right now, these first couple matches, that’s what we need to do getting back into it.”
Edinburgh coach Rachel O’Brien was pleased to take a couple of games from the Bull Bogs.
“Getting anything against a really good team like North is a triumph,” O’Brien said. “Especially at No. 1 doubles, (Myers and Turner are) seniors, so they wanted to play their best at that spot. I think they did pretty well. They kept the ball in play and did their best.”
The Lancers finish the season 5-11.
“We had some really good wins, but we also had some tough losses throughout the season,” O’Brien said. “All my girls that are juniors will be coming back, so we’ll be very senior-heavy next year.”
