Warsaw Ladies Add To Sectional Streak
WARSAW – What happens when you take great senior leadership and combine it with a formidable freshman class?
For the Warsaw girls tennis program that formula equals yet another sectional championship.
Coach Rick Orban’s team made it 15 straight sectional titles Friday by blanking Whitko 5-0 under sun-drenched skies in the finale of the Warsaw Sectional.
Warsaw, which lost a total of just five games in the four matches contested on Friday, advances to play Plymouth Tuesday in a regional semifinal match at Culver Academies. The Pilgrims beat Triton 5-0 Friday to win the Bremen Sectional championship. Warsaw lost a 5-0 decision to Plymouth in a Northern Lakes Conference match back on April 21, but much has changed since then as the Tigers now sport a much different and much more confident lineup.
Orban, who prides himself on having his teams ready at tournament time, was all smiles once again as the hardware stayed right at home. Warsaw has now won 25 sectional titles overall and the streak of 15 in a row is one of the longest currently in the state. Munster leads the streak chart with 38 in a row.
“It’s hard to believe that this streak started a decade and half ago,” said Orban. “To win 15 in a row is pretty special. It really doesn’t ever get old. Their have been years where we did not have the best team in the sectional, but our kids fought and won it.
“With our schedule this season, we played the best of the best. Once I saw how we performed with this lineup at the NLC Tournament (May 13-15) there was no doubt in my mind that we would win the sectional.
“The thing is that all the kids have bought in this season. We’ve gotten great senior leadership from our three seniors (Camille Kerlin, Sydney Hartman, Shelby Roberts). That’s so important when you have as many freshman starting (four) as we do. Everyone has been all about the team this year.”
Warsaw was up 1-0 Friday before a single point was even played. Whitko, which beat Tippecanoe Valley 3-2 in the semifinals on Thursday, had just six players and had to default the No. 2 doubles match. That meant that the Warsaw No. 2 doubles team of senior Sydney Hartman and sophomore Athena Schlitt was awarded a 6-0, 6-0 win.
The Tigers then wasted no time in taking care of business once play commenced.
The No. 1 doubles team of senior Camille Kerlin and freshman Hannah Rice were the first to post a win. The pair topped freshman Jackie Werstler and sophomore Aurelia Slusher 6-0, 6-1.
Warsaw clinched the title when Ella Knight, one of three freshmen in the singles lineup, topped junior Mikayla Findley 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.
The Tigers completed the shutout as freshman Liza Lewis defeated sophomore Morgan Keirn 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles and freshman Colette Smith beat sophomore Delaney Keirn 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles action.
“Devon Papa (the pro at Warsaw Tennis and Fitness Club) is a huge part of this,” remarked Orban. “He’s done a great job working with our players.”
Warsaw will take a 9-7 record into the regional round. The Tigers were eliminated in the regional semifinals a year ago by Peru. Host Culver Academies will play Wabash in the other semifinal on Tuesday. The regional final is set for Wednesday with the champion advancing to the Culver Academies Semistate on May 30.