Devils blank Jay Co. (04/12/05)

PORTLAND — The Patriots are looking for that winning formula.

Using their third different starting lineup of the season, the Jay County girls tennis team slipped to 1-2 Monday with a 5-0 loss to the Richmond Red Devils. Richmond (1-0) was a sectional and regional champion last year before falling to Indianapolis Park Tudor 5-0 in the semi-state semifinal round.

“For a semi-state team from last year I think we did very well,” said first-year coach Jerry Klopfenstein. “Julie (Sours) played very well taking (Helena Scherer) three sets and our No. 2 doubles played very well for their first time together.”

Sours came closest to earning a victory for the Patriots as she and fellow senior Erin St. Myers made their first foray into singles play. The pair has played at No. 1 doubles for each of the last two seasons, advancing out of the team sectional to the doubles tournament last season and finishing 14-4.

Sours struggled in her first set, dropping it 6-1, but figured something out in the second. She won four of the first five games in the second set, went up 5-2 and then finished it off when Scherer knocked back-to-back shots into the net.

The third set of the No. 3 singles match was tied at two games apiece before Scherer pulled away, winning four of the next five games to end the match.

St. Myers, playing at No. 2 singles, also struggled in her first set. After being shut out in the opener she managed to win a few games in the second set, but still fell to a 6-0, 6-3 defeat to Megan Hollingsworth.

Stephanie Homan and Jenae Horn teamed together in doubles action for the first time Monday, playing a couple of close sets against Lindsay Manzer and Brittney Abel at No. 2 doubles.

They had a 5-4 lead in the first set and had a couple of chances to break Richmond’s serve and win the set. But, the Red Devils survived the game and won the next two to steal the set.

Manzer and Abel never trailed in the second set, building a 5-3 lead. Homan served the Patriots back to within a game at 5-4, but a Richmond slam in the next game ended the match at 7-5, 6-4.

“We’re going to stick with this (lineup) this week and see how it goes,” said Klopfenstein. “Especially in sectionals I think we’re going to have to have our No. 2 and our No. 3 singles winning matches.”

Jay County opened with a 3-2 win over Blackford, but has been shut out in its last two matches by Bellmont and Richmond. It hosts Marion, which has won three straight sectional titles and 12 of the last 13, Tuesday and will visit Bluffton Thursday.

“I think Erin and Julie can play really well at (singles) just because of their quickness and their stroke skills,” Klopfenstein added. “I think they can do well at those positions.”

The Patriots managed to win one game in each of the other two matches against the Red Devils. Whitney Schemenaur fell 6-1, 6-0 to Molly Keifer at No. 1 singles, and Brianne Morrical and Chelsea Reff dropped the No. 1 doubles match 6-1, 6-0.

Klopfenstein said the team needs to work on being more consistent with its shots as it looks to improve throughout the season.

“We’re not making the opponents move around on the court,” he said. “We’re giving them one shot only, and we need to move them back and forth, left and right.”

Jay County also lost the junior varsity match, dropping to 0-3 on the year.[[In-content Ad]]