JC wins opener

The Jay County High School girls tennis team got off to the kind of start it was hoping for.

The Patriots knocked off the sectional rival Blackford Bruins 3-2 Tuesday in their season opener, cruising to their three victories. In those three wins - at No. 2 and 3 singles, and No. 1 doubles - they gave up just 10 games combined.

"It's nice to start with a win," said JCHS coach Roy Adams, whose team finished last season with five victories. "I felt that Mariah (Clark) played well pretty much from start to finish. I think once Alyssa (Rigby) got settled down then she pretty much got in the driver's seat and really did a good job.

"One doubles had no problems today. They played solid.

"It was a good day all the way around."

The No. 1 doubles duo of Emily Huntsman and Becky Muhlenkamp set the tone for Jay County, rolling to a 6-1 victory in their first set. Muhlenkamp served out the first game of the second set at love and the Patriots took a 4-0 lead before Bruins Lindsey Fancher and Katelyn Freel got on the board.

But Muhlenkamp and Huntsman pushed to a 5-1 lead and finished the 6-1, 6-1 victory on a Muhlenkamp volley winner down the middle.

"They are a good team," said Adams. "Coming out here to start, they certainly have a great opportunity this year. ... I feel real positive about what we can do with them. It's a great start."

Senior Mariah Clark was nearly as dominant at No. 2 singles, giving up just three games to Alisha McGahee. She took the first set 6-2 and after dropping the first game of the second went on to win six in a row to close out the match.

She totaled five aces in her 6-2, 6-1 win.

"She was a monster out there today," said Adams. "She was serving well. She was hitting the ball well for the most part. ...

"It was an excellent first match for her. If she keeps that up she's going to have a great year."

Rigby, a sophomore, added the third Jay County win in her varsity debut. She fought off Shelby Rhoton to take the first set and then won the first three games of the second on the way to a 6-3, 6-2 triumph.

"I have a lot of faith in Alyssa," said Adams. "Last year she showed a lot of poise as a freshman. ... She's a girl that doesn't like to lose."

Jay County nearly pulled out another victory as the No. 2 doubles pair of Ashley Caupp and Danielle Chenoweth rallied after dropping the first set 7-5 and trailing 3-2 in the second. They won four of the next five games, taking the second set on a Blackford double fault.

The Patriots had leads of 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 in the third set before the Bruin duo of Sarah Davis and Whitney Hapner won back-to-back games to grab a 6-5 advantage. Chenoweth and Caupp broke Blackford's serve to force a tiebreaker, but dropped the first two points on the way to a 7-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) defeat.

"They're a new group ... and they're going to do a lot as far as growing together," Adams said. "We had opportunities today and got a little conservative there at the end, didn't really do the things that were helping us be successful earlier. ...

"Sometimes they just need to think more aggressively, attack their shots. Looking at the tiebreaker, I think we got ultra-conservative."

Kayla Martin turned in a strong battle in the opening set against Emily Smith only to fall just short of forcing a tiebreaker. Smith took control in the second set to cap a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

"Kayla had a good first set ... but then she just kind of got tight, I think, in the second set," said Adams. "She's just got to get some confidence."

Junior varsity

Victories at the top three singles positions led the Patriots to a 4-2 victory over Blackford.

Joni Degler dominated at No. 2 singles for a 4-0, 4-0 victory over Erica Reid, and Brittany White beat Jamie Coons 4-1, 4-0 at No. 1 singles. Rachel Ray added a 4-3, 4-2 win over Coons at No. 3 singles, and the team of Chelsea Kimmel and Jessica Ooten beat Alyssa Bergdoll and Hope Miller 4-1, 4-2 at No. 1 doubles.[[In-content Ad]]