This time of year many tennis coaches have to decide whether to gamble or play it safe.  The lineup for the IHSAA postseason tournament (sectional, regional, semi-state, state) must be submitted to the IHSAA from each school by May 7.

Tennis is a unique sport in that whatever lineup (1-2-3 singles and 1-2 doubles) is used for the first round of sectionals must be used all the way through the state finals.  Coaches are permitted to use alternates, but cannot move a Top 7 player back and forth between singles and doubles.

The purpose of this rule is to prevent “stacking” – which is using a lineup where the 1-2-3 singles players and/or the 1-2 doubles teams are not lined up in proper order of playing ability. 

For many coaches, strategy becomes a guessing game as they try to figure out which teams they might potentially meet in the sectional finals, in the regional, in the opening round of semi-state, etc.  Then, coaches have to decide whether to gamble.

For example, as of May 1 at Delta, our team has 10 players who are regulars in the varsity rotation.  Only seven of those 10 can play in any given varsity match.  From that group, I can put together several lineups: some stronger in singles, some stronger in doubles.  An injury to one of my regular singles players complicates the situation because it is difficult to project how quickly the injury will respond to treatment.

The Delta Sectional features four teams: Delta, Muncie Burris, Alexandria and Yorktown.  Delta is the 16-time sectional defending champion, but that streak could be in jeopardy despite our 10-3 record.  One of our regular-season losses was a 3-2 decision to Muncie Burris.  Also, although we did not meet head-to-head, Alexandria finished ahead of Delta in an eight-team invitational in late April.

As I finalize my decisions for the tournament lineup, I must decide how much I am willing to gamble.  I can put a “safe” lineup together – one that would give our team a very strong opportunity to win sectional but might not be our best lineup for teams we could meet in the Delta Regional, such as Bellmont and undefeated Anderson Highland, a team ranked all season in the Top 20. Or I can submit a lineup that would be more suitable for regional, although it would come with a greater risk of losing at the sectional level.

Some state powers in the Indianapolis area such as Carmel, Park Tudor, Cathedral, Brebeuf Jesuit, Cathedral, North Central, Zionsville and Center Grove face this dilemma annually as they try to establish one lineup that will work well for sectional all the way to the state meet.