JC blanks Union City

Jay County High School’s boys tennis team picked up its first win of the season Monday in dominating fashion.
The Patriots won their home opener 5-0 over the Union City Indians.
“I think it’s a really nice win after Saturday’s performance,” said first-year JCHS coach Scott Miller, whose team didn’t win a match in Saturday’s Dekalb Invitational.
Monday, though, the Patriots didn’t drop a set.
Zach Pryor, Alex Krieg and Alex Clark all cruised to win in their singles matches.
Pryor beat Kullen Weiss at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0, to earn his first win as a singles player after spending last year playing No. 1 doubles with 2014 graduate Josh Lykins.
“It’s totally different,” Pryor said of playing singles rather than doubles. “Having someone there to talk to and help you forget about that point was a lot better. (In) singles you just have to learn to get over stuff.”
During the first set, Pryor had a number of shots he had to forget about quickly. After taking the first game, the Patriot senior lost the second on unforced errors.
“His mentality early on in (the) match was concerning,” Miller said. “I think he was trying to force the issue a bit and that’s when he hit into those unforced errors and gave himself some problems.
“He adjusted as the match went on and by the second set he was totally in control.”
Pryor, who didn’t lose another game, used the entire court, forcing Weiss to run up and down the baseline.
On numerous occasions, Pryor matched Weiss’ cross-court shot with one of his own to win a point with Weiss out of position.
Meanwhile, at No. 2 singles, Krieg beat Dustin Hahn in less than a half hour, winning 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 3 singles, Clark beat Gabe Loesch 6-1, 6-2, and after taking the first set, the Jay County junior was able to focus on fundamentals in the second set.
“With a big lead he was willing to take some risks,” Miller said. “Some of the games of that second set were a little closer than he would have liked, but that’s a great opportunity for him to work on some of those skills.”
Like their singles teammates, the Patriots’ No. 1 doubles team of Jay Houck and Adam Jutte were also victorious in straight sets.
Jutte and Houck, a senior and sophomore respectively, dropped the first game of the opening set to Hunter Cline and Ethan Kerns, but won the next six to take the set.
Cline and Kerns put up a fight in the second set — going nearly game-for-game to trail 4-3 — but Jutte and Houck won the final two to take the match.
With a 4-0 Patriot advantage, it was up to Jay County’s No. 2 doubles team of Sok Vormohr and Garrett Rogers to come through with a victory to help earn a sweep of the Indians.
It didn’t come as easily as the other Patriot wins, but the tandem came through to beat Chase Jeffries and Zach Bradbury, 6-2, 7-5.
Rogers and Vormohr trailed 3-2 in the second set, but won back-to-back games to take a 4-3 lead. Bradbury and Jeffries took two of the next three to tie the set at five games apiece.
Then, Vormohr and Rogers sealed the win.
In the 11th game, Vormohr recovered from two straight errors for a slam at the net and a cross-court return to lead 40-30, and an unforced error by Union City put the Patriots’ No. 2 team ahead, 6-5.
With the Indians on the serve, two straight points by Rogers and a solid return by Vormohr made it 40-love.
Bradbury hit a cross-court shot to win the next point, but Jeffries double-faulted to end the match.