North Montgomery won their third straight tennis sectional with a 3-2 win over Southmont.
North Montgomery's Kaitlyn Greenlee sealed the match with a 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Bailey Barker at No. 3 singles.
North Montgomery's Mary Jackman won at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-3 over Mallory Murphy.
Hope Lighty and Sophie Reimondo advanced in the individual portion of the tournament with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Caitlin Fedor and Karli Fidler.
Chargers on top
For a second straight night the North Montgomery girls tennis team prevailed to win their third straight IHSAA Sectional with a 3-2 win over Southmont.
“It was great competition tonight,” Chargers coach Shannon Joyce said. “The girls got down a few times, but they dug deep and did what they needed to do tonight. I was impressed all the way across the board. Aryn and Mary came out strong and got us points at singles, and it’s nice to be able to rely on them to put points on the board.”
Mary Jackman defeated Mallory Murphy 6-1. 6-3 at No. 1 singles, while Aryn Groves beat Elizabeth Truncone 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles to give North Montgomery a quick 2-0 lead.
The Mounties responded with a win at No. 1 doubles by Hope Lighty and Sophie Reimondo 6-4, 6-1 over Caitlin Fedor and Karli Fidler. The next point tallied came from Madison Murphy and Megan Scheidler at No. 2 doubles over Allison Guard and Gracie Chapman 6-2, 7-6(3) to even the team score at 2-2.
Just moments later inside at Wabash College — Kaitlyn Greenlee sealed the Chargers title with a 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Bailey Barker at No. 3 singles.
“Like I said yesterday, I thought we were peaking at the right time,” Southmont coach Rob Reimondo said. “And it was a far more competitive final than I think people saw coming. In the end I’m disappointed in the result, but I’m very very pleased with the team’s effort as a whole. They all left it all out there and I told the girls it’s the best effort I’ve seen out of them all season and as a coach that’s all you can hope for and ask for.”
After losing No. 1 singles player Kenzie Neal and No. 1 doubles player Megan Merica, the Chargers were uncertain how this season would take form, but they quickly turned it into a county, Sagamore Conference, and now a sectional title with a 14-3 record.
“I’m very impressed with this group of girls,” Joyce said. “Starting out at the beginning of the season we didn’t know if we’d be at this point, and they worked really hard. They came to practice everyday, listened to their coaches, and coached each other. I am very impressed with the growth from the beginning of the season until now.”
A big difference for the Chargers came from the emergence of Jackman as a senior leader.
“I thought it was a really good opportunity to lead the team,” she said. “I’m just glad I was able to be No. 1 singles this year and help everybody else improve throughout the season. I would just see little things in practice and give them tips on how to improve.”
While North Montgomery awaits their regional opponent, which will take place at Crawfordsville on Tuesday, Southmont turns the page to next season.
“I think the future is bright for South tennis,” Reimondo said. “We learned a lot this year, and we will be better, older, and more experienced next year.”
