NorthWood’s Lauren Mikel bears down on a return shot against Jimtown Thursday in the NorthWood Girls Tennis Sectional semi-finals. (Photo by Mike Deak)

NAPPANEE – NorthWood passed its second test, and moved one step closer to history.

A 5-0 victory in the semi-finals of the NorthWood Girls Tennis Sectional over Jimtown sends the Panthers to the championship for the third straight year. And with a win tomorrow over Goshen, which outlasted Bethany Christian in the other semi-final, 3-1, NorthWood could add a historical footnote to its yearbook entry.

Gretchen Adams led the way for NorthWood in what became a weather-themed night in Nappanee. Adams won 6-0, 6-1, over Taylor Carter in a snappy 45 minutes, getting the match over before a weather delay halted play. The timing was key as Adams is still coming back from an ankle injury from the Northern Lakes Conference Championships last week.

“She looked more mobile than the night before,” started NorthWood head coach Tif Schwartz of Adams. “She was fortunate to get it done before the rain delay so she could get off that ankle. That was a good benefit of the deal.”

Reegan Miller and Alex Jesse both won 6-4, 6-1 against Kaitlyn Margraf and Anna Pope once the rain subsided.

Caroline Mullet and Kate Stillson put away Grace Crocker and Jordyn Mora 6-0, 6-3 at two doubles, and picking up its first win in the month of May was the one doubles team of Lauren Mikel and Riley Graber, who put a 6-1 first set loss behind them to rally back for a 6-4, 6-2 triumph on Abby Bredenkamp and Emma Clarke.

The Panthers will be playing for a sectional three-peat, which if it can defeat Goshen in Friday’s sectional championship, would be the first team in Panther girls tennis history to accomplish the feat.

Goshen reached the final by getting three court wins in straight sets. Both of its doubles teams, Kathryn Detweiler and Brooke Grewe at one doubles, and Sage Christner and Sophia Kirkton at two doubles, lost just eight combined games.

Lucy Kramer got a four and four win at one singles and Bethany pulled one back at three singles with Reyna King going 6-3, 7-5. The two singles court was into the third set when it began to rain again. With the match a non-factor in the outcome of the match or the individual tournament, it was called a wash.

“Our one doubles getting a win tonight was big for us, and for them and their confidence,” Schwartz said. “They lost to Goshen 2-2 when they played, but you never know. Our singles are going to have to be good again, and we know that. No one wants to lose because there’s no tomorrow if we do. But no one has ever had a three-peat at NorthWood. We’d like to be the first.”

Play at Friday’s final will begin around 5:15 Friday at NorthWood.