FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon’s girls tennis team didn’t let up.
The 18th-ranked Marauders dominated the Hancock County Tournament in April and handily defeated two of the three other teams that make up the four-team field of county schools in the Mt. Vernon Sectional in dual meets during the regular season.
The Marauders did not play Eastern Hancock in the regular season, but will meet the Royals Thursday in the sectional championship. The Royals beat Greenfield-Central 4-1 Wednesday.
Against rival New Palestine in Wednesday’s other semifinal, it was business as usual for the Marauders.
“Zero (let down),” Mt. Vernon coach Gabe Muterspaugh said. “In fact, that’s the way it has been all year. Whether it’s tournaments (or duals) seems like this team has always been ready to go. We’ve never had to worry about that and we saw that today.
“You come in, you clock in, you do your job and you get out. They did that today.”
As it did nine days ago in a dual meet at New Palestine, Mt. Vernon (11-3) won all five matches in straight sets to claim a 5-0 victory and spot in Thursday’s championship match.
Four matches ended quickly.
At No. 1 doubles, Mt. Vernon junior Kylie Brandes and senior Ava Lusby improved to 20-0 on the season with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over New Pal seniors Emily Appleby and Josephine Harvey.
At No. 1 singles, Marauder sophomore Caroline Allen beat Dragon junior Kaitlyn Mitchell 6-0, 6-1.
It was the same score as when Allen beat Mitchell during the county tournament. In the dual, Allen won 6-0, 7-5, but she didn’t let Mitchell get back in the match during the second set on Wednesday.
“That was big-time,” Muterspaugh said of Allen’s performance. “She won the first set 6-0 and we mentioned to her remember you gave a little bit of a lull in your play last match and she did not do that today. I think she learned from it and that’s the sign of good player, learning from your past mistakes and to not repeat them.”
At No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles, Mt. Vernon players won all but three games.
Italian exchange student Ginni Morelli defeated New Palestine junior Bethany Blachly 6-1, 6-2. The veteran Mt. Vernon No. 2 doubles team of seniors Sophie Maxwell and Addy Lockwood beat frosh Riley Watts and senior Amelia Schneider 6-0, 6-3.
All four matches were completed before the first set of the No. 3 singles match between Mt. Vernon senior Maria Downs and New Palestine junior Maizy Haynes.
The two had played competitive matches previously in the county tournament and last week’s dual meet. Downs won them both by straight sets and she won by straight sets again on Wednesday, 6-4, 6-2. Haynes had taken Downs to a second-set tiebreaker last week and won nine games in the matchup for the No. 3 singles county championship.
“Mt. Vernon has the best team they’ve had in 28 years. I wish them well and I hope they can win the regional and represent Hancock County,” New Palestine coach Jean Graham said. “I hope they do well. They took our game away from us (today).”
The Dragons graduated six seniors from last year’s team, but still managed a solid season this year. They finished 9-7 overall and 5-2 and in third place in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.
All three singles players will return next year, but the team will lose three doubles players, seniors Appleby, Harvey and Schneider.
“We’ve got to find two good sets of doubles (for next season),” Graham added. “We’re focusing on getting our players to play more year round, like Mt. Vernon has done with their girls. I think Hancock County is getting better and stronger and I’m happy to see the level of tennis getting better.”
