FORTVILLE — Monday’s boys tennis battle at Mt. Vernon was the opening of the Hoosier Heritage Conference season for both the Marauders and Pendleton Heights.
It was also the first meeting between the conference’s two newest coaches.
For Graham McMullen, HHC matchups are nothing new, but it was his first as head coach, and for Bryant Beard, it was his first taste of conference play as head coach of the Arabians.
The Marauders swept the Arabians 5-0 to improve to 3-2 on the season.
“It was a solid win, but we came out flat,” McMullen said. “There wasn’t a lot of energy out there on the courts, and that’s got to change as the schedule starts to get harder and we get later into the season.”
Mt. Vernon came into the match with early-season losses against two teams ranked in the top 15 of the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll. They were defeated by both No. 7 Floyd Central (Friday) and No. 12 Center Grove 4-1 (Saturday).
Matches like that, according to McMullen, help prepare the Marauders for matches like Monday night’s, but can also be the main culprit in the energy he saw from his team.
“It’s a double-edged sword. It makes you ready and makes it seem like in other matches the ball comes in slower. It looks like a beach ball instead of a ping pong ball,” McMullen said. “However, it can also make you have expectations. When you face big teams, and then you play someone that isn’t top 15, you slow down as well. It’s all about just learning how to temper expectations night in and night out. We should always just go out there and swing freely.”
Mt. Vernon’s All-State No. 1 singles player, Adam Koon was the first off the court. He defeated Pendleton Heights junior Austin Perry in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
Manny Downs, the Marauders No. 2 singles player joined him shortly after, and the No. 1 doubles team of Robbie Moore and Bryndan Wylie secured the Mt. Vernon victory.
Downs defeated Cove Ritchey 6-1, 6-0, and Wylie and Moore won 6-1, 6-1 over Garrett Morgan and Troy Thorson.
“I know most of these kids from private clinics, so we had a good idea of what we were getting into,” Beard said. “They’re a really strong team. We haven’t seen a lot of balls hit like that yet this season.”
At No. 3 singles, Tate Cougill earned the fourth point for Mt. Vernon with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Owen Kean.
In the longest, and closest match of the evening, Matthew Jones and Max Orelup defeated Isaac Haugh and Jaxton Bush 6-4, 6-3 for the sweep.
“We’re looking better than we expected at some spots, but we’re still growing,” McMullen said. “We’re still trying to figure out who’s going to play where and what our best lineup is, but so far no complaints.”
The Mt. Vernon lineup has been the same in four of the team’s first five matches, including Monday, and is the same lineup the team ran for the majority of last season.
Eli Muterspaugh joined Jones on the No. 2 doubles team in a 5-0 win over Perry Meridian this past weekend, and according to McMullen, nothing has been set in place regarding his starting lineup.
“Certain spots are starting to lock up, and we’re starting to see good results from certain positions,” McMullen said. “Others are up in the air, and that’s all across the board.”
Mt. Vernon is back on the courts tonight against another highly-ranked team. The Marauders take on No. 16 Guerin Catholic at home beginning at 5 p.m.
