4/9/2009
By KEVIN HARRIS
Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com
SELLERSBURG — The Silver Creek girls’ tennis team got off to a rocky start in Wednesday’s season opener against New Albany.
The host Dragons trailed in the first set in four of their five matches. But after shaking off a bad case of first-match jitters and adapting to the cool, windy conditions, Silver Creek got its act together and prevailed 4-1.
“We really had to fight back to come out ahead today,” Dragons co-coach Robert Briscoe said. “It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t the warmest day out here. Some of our girls weren’t ready to play. We had two girls who had never played a varsity match before.”
Silver Creek rallied to win all three of its singles matches. Following a first-set loss to New Albany’s Kylia Sullivan, Dragon junior Morgan Coquerille proceeded to claim the final two sets and win at No. 1 singles, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
At two singles, Silver Creek senior Kendall Regan trailed 3-0 and 6-5 in the opening set to Bulldog senior Kylie Crecelius. But Regan rallied to win the set in a tiebreaker and then took the second set to prevail in the match, 7-6, 6-2.
Dragon No. 3 singles player Taylor East fell behind 5-4 to junior Haley Haws. But East dominated after that, capturing seven of the next nine games to prevail 6-4, 6-2.
“At No. 1, we lost our focus a little bit,” said New Albany head coach Bob Dusch, whose squad was playing its season opener as well. “At No. 2, my player hits good groundstrokes and she attacks the ball well. But Kendall just keeps the ball in play. Haley at No. 3, I think inexperience got her. But halfway through the season, I think you’ll see a major difference (with Haws). We’re still experimenting with doubles.”
At No. 1 doubles, the Silver Creek tandem of Alexa Leonard and Rain Hopkins defeated the Bulldogs’ Sarah Nale and Maddy Bellew, 6-1, 6-4.
“The good thing we got out of today is we found some things we definitely need to work on,” Briscoe said. “When we met as a team (after the match), we talked about the serve and return and how that’s the first two points, and about how we really didn’t do that well at some positions today and it hurt us.”
New Albany’s lone point came at No. 2 doubles, where senior Ishita Jain and junior Emory Jones defeated Ally DeWeese and Kristen Haeberlein, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
“On Friday coming off practice, I really felt good. We had a great practice Friday,” Dusch said. “We just didn’t perform today. We got a lot of kids who are new. We played a freshman in the lineup (Bellew) and she had a deer-in-the-headlight look. But I saw some bright spots and I saw some things we can definitely work on. Before it’s over, I think we’ll see this team (Silver Creek) again in the regional.”
Silver Creek will host its own varsity tournament on Saturday, which will include Washington, Madison and Seymour. The Bulldogs visit Scottsburg today before hosting the New Albany Invitational on Saturday.
Silver Creek 4, New Albany 1
Singles — Coquerille (S) d. Sullivan 5-7, 6-2, 6-2; Regan (S) d. Crecelius 7-6, 6-2; East (S) d. Haws 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles — Leonard-Hopkins (S) d. Bellew-Nale 6-1, 6-4; Jones-Jain (N) d. DeWeese-Haeberlein 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
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