July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Downing the Devils (04/10/07)
JCHS girls tennis
Downing the Devils (04/10/07)
By By RAY COONEY-
With the deciding set starting under the white of a brief flurry of snow and ending in the black of night, Monday's girls tennis season-opener for Jay County was anything but typical. But it was a victory, and the Patriots are glad to have one so early in the season.
After dropping its first six matches a year ago, JCHS opened 2007 by defeating the Richmond Red Devils 3-2 thanks in part to an odd ending at No. 2 doubles.
With the lights not working and the court shrouded in near darkness, Richmond coach Rusty Hollingsworth and No. 2 doubles pair Brittney Abell and Maggie Flynn decided conditions were too poor to continue playing. The Red Devil duo trailed Patriots Cindy Muhlenkamp and Megan Knittle 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 5-3 at the time, and their choice to retire gave Jay County the win.
The Patriots lost 5-0 to Richmond a year ago as part of their difficult start.
"You've got to feel real good about that," said JCHS coach Roy Adams of the turn-around, "and we didn't really play our best tennis either.
"I'm just really pleased from varsity all the way down ... To me, this looks like a different team. We had our ups and down, but from a year ago you can just see more maturity ..."
Muhlenkamp and Knittle won the opening set on the power of the second of two successful Patriot tiebreakers on the evening.
The duo scored the opening two points before Abell and Flynn pulled even at 3 and 4, but took the final three points to win the set. A Richmond double fault broke the tie, Knittle followed with a cross-court volley winner and the Red Devil duo couldn't get Muhlenkamp's final serve back across the net.
Abell and Flynn rolled to a 6-2 win in the second set, then took the first game as a smattering of snow fell in the deciding third. However, Jay County's duo took three straight games, the last on a Muhlenkamp volley winner, to pull ahead 5-3 before Hollingsworth pulled his players off the court.
"I talked to them about a couple of adjustments in the third set I thought they needed," said Adams, whose team had focused on keeping its serves in the middle of the court. "I think in the second set we got exposed. Richmond was hitting a lot of angle shots. ... We had to step out after the serve and be ready for (those shots)."
Jenna Valentine won the other tiebreaker of the evening in her No. 3 singles match against Jami Newman.
Although she never trailed, Valentine had to fight hard to finish off the first set. After the JCHS senior took leads of 3-0 and 6-3, Newman managed to even the score at 6, 7 and 8 while fighting off six set points. But Valentine pulled ahead again at 9-8 and took the opening set when Newman's return of service went into the net.
Valentine pushed head 5-2 in the second set before dropping back-to-back games as the score tightened. At 30-all in the eighth game she dropped in a couple of soft backhands, and Newman couldn't get to either one.
"When she got that tie-break I think that was an emotional lift for her and a drop for (Newman)," said Adams of Valentine's 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 win. "That made it easier for her to finish off that second set."
Carissa Wilkins earned the other point for Jay County with her victory over Anna Stephens at No. 2 singles.
Wilkins won the opening three games only to have Stephens take the next four. But the JCHS senior bounced back to win three more games in a row, finishing the first set with an overhead volley.
Wilkins again trailed 4-3 in the second set, but repeated her first-set effort by winning three straight games to complete the 6-4, 6-4 win.
"She was just not moving the ball very well, but Carissa is a fighter," said Adams. "Whether she is playing her best game or her worst game, there is no quit in her. ... She turned it up a notch and finished it off."
The No. 1s suffered losses for the Patriots, with Megan Adams dropping 6-2, 6-0 in singles action and the team of Jessica Muhlenkamp and Tiffani Bickel falling 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 in doubles.
But those two matches still showed Jay County's marked improvement. A year ago the team won just two games against Richmond in all three singles matches combined, and fell 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 1 doubles match.
Junior varsity
The Patriots won all four doubles matches en route to a 6-2 victory over Richmond.
Jay County's No. 2 doubles pair of Betsy Knittle and Brittany Lewis scored the biggest victory of the night, smacking Shawnice Hogg and Lizzie Shepherd 8-1. Also scoring doubles wins were Megan Huntsman and Briann Saxman at No. 1, Mizuki Saito and Michelle Landfair at No. 3 and Becky Muhlenkamp and Brittany White at No. 4.
Heather Ayers and Mariah Clark each won in singles action, while Hannah McAbee and Megan McGraw suffered singles losses.[[In-content Ad]]
After dropping its first six matches a year ago, JCHS opened 2007 by defeating the Richmond Red Devils 3-2 thanks in part to an odd ending at No. 2 doubles.
With the lights not working and the court shrouded in near darkness, Richmond coach Rusty Hollingsworth and No. 2 doubles pair Brittney Abell and Maggie Flynn decided conditions were too poor to continue playing. The Red Devil duo trailed Patriots Cindy Muhlenkamp and Megan Knittle 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 5-3 at the time, and their choice to retire gave Jay County the win.
The Patriots lost 5-0 to Richmond a year ago as part of their difficult start.
"You've got to feel real good about that," said JCHS coach Roy Adams of the turn-around, "and we didn't really play our best tennis either.
"I'm just really pleased from varsity all the way down ... To me, this looks like a different team. We had our ups and down, but from a year ago you can just see more maturity ..."
Muhlenkamp and Knittle won the opening set on the power of the second of two successful Patriot tiebreakers on the evening.
The duo scored the opening two points before Abell and Flynn pulled even at 3 and 4, but took the final three points to win the set. A Richmond double fault broke the tie, Knittle followed with a cross-court volley winner and the Red Devil duo couldn't get Muhlenkamp's final serve back across the net.
Abell and Flynn rolled to a 6-2 win in the second set, then took the first game as a smattering of snow fell in the deciding third. However, Jay County's duo took three straight games, the last on a Muhlenkamp volley winner, to pull ahead 5-3 before Hollingsworth pulled his players off the court.
"I talked to them about a couple of adjustments in the third set I thought they needed," said Adams, whose team had focused on keeping its serves in the middle of the court. "I think in the second set we got exposed. Richmond was hitting a lot of angle shots. ... We had to step out after the serve and be ready for (those shots)."
Jenna Valentine won the other tiebreaker of the evening in her No. 3 singles match against Jami Newman.
Although she never trailed, Valentine had to fight hard to finish off the first set. After the JCHS senior took leads of 3-0 and 6-3, Newman managed to even the score at 6, 7 and 8 while fighting off six set points. But Valentine pulled ahead again at 9-8 and took the opening set when Newman's return of service went into the net.
Valentine pushed head 5-2 in the second set before dropping back-to-back games as the score tightened. At 30-all in the eighth game she dropped in a couple of soft backhands, and Newman couldn't get to either one.
"When she got that tie-break I think that was an emotional lift for her and a drop for (Newman)," said Adams of Valentine's 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 win. "That made it easier for her to finish off that second set."
Carissa Wilkins earned the other point for Jay County with her victory over Anna Stephens at No. 2 singles.
Wilkins won the opening three games only to have Stephens take the next four. But the JCHS senior bounced back to win three more games in a row, finishing the first set with an overhead volley.
Wilkins again trailed 4-3 in the second set, but repeated her first-set effort by winning three straight games to complete the 6-4, 6-4 win.
"She was just not moving the ball very well, but Carissa is a fighter," said Adams. "Whether she is playing her best game or her worst game, there is no quit in her. ... She turned it up a notch and finished it off."
The No. 1s suffered losses for the Patriots, with Megan Adams dropping 6-2, 6-0 in singles action and the team of Jessica Muhlenkamp and Tiffani Bickel falling 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 in doubles.
But those two matches still showed Jay County's marked improvement. A year ago the team won just two games against Richmond in all three singles matches combined, and fell 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 1 doubles match.
Junior varsity
The Patriots won all four doubles matches en route to a 6-2 victory over Richmond.
Jay County's No. 2 doubles pair of Betsy Knittle and Brittany Lewis scored the biggest victory of the night, smacking Shawnice Hogg and Lizzie Shepherd 8-1. Also scoring doubles wins were Megan Huntsman and Briann Saxman at No. 1, Mizuki Saito and Michelle Landfair at No. 3 and Becky Muhlenkamp and Brittany White at No. 4.
Heather Ayers and Mariah Clark each won in singles action, while Hannah McAbee and Megan McGraw suffered singles losses.[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD