Indy Star

 

By Nat Newell

Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School girls tennis coach Rick Scotten could envision his team upsetting No. 2 Carmel early in Monday's match.

His No. 2 and 3 singles players had won their first sets and No. 1 Gabrielle Rubenstein was leading Carmel's Courtney Wild, 4-3. The Braves would eventually lose, 4-1, but Scotten left the match with his hopes raised . . . if not as high as they were at the start.

"I was pleased with the way we did," he said, despite his sixth-ranked team getting a victory only from No. 2 singles player Anna Barnard. "All you need is three wins out of five and we've got the players that could do it on a given day."

Brebeuf is regularly one of the top teams in the state but shares its sectional with No. 1 Park Tudor, which has won four consecutive state titles. The Braves lost to an undefeated Panthers team, 3-2, in sectionals last season. Cathedral is ranked fifth, meaning there are three higher-ranked teams within 14 miles of the Brebeuf campus.

The Braves will be well prepared for that level of competition in the postseason, however. Saturday it will participate in the Carmel Invitational against a field that includes No. 2 Carmel, No. 3 Munster, No. 7 Jasper and No. 13 Homestead and No. 20 Evansville Memorial. They face Cathedral on April 29 and Park Tudor on April 30.

"Our team is so good (but you) look at Carmel, Cathedral and Park Tudor and their depth is amazing," Scotten said. "Their No. 2 doubles teams are players ranked in the state. It's a tough situation (but) we'll find out where we're at Saturday."