FORTVILLE — Gabe Muterspaugh had one big question answered for him. He just had to follow with the right answer to the second.
He did.
With a talented Italian exchange student (Ginni Morelli) and an all-state player (sophomore Caroline Allen) added to a 2024 roster that was returning its entire varsity lineup — which included another all-stater (Kylie Brandes) — from a sectional championship team, Muterspaugh had some big decisions to make.
One was made easy when Brandes, a junior and two-time all-state No. 1 singles player, offered to play doubles.
The Brandes move let him put Allen at the No. 1 singles spot and Morelli at No. 2.
The bigger question was finding the right partner for Brandes.
Muterspaugh went with senior Ava Lusby, who had played No. 2 singles in 2023, and it was the perfect match.
The combo of Brandes and Lusby went undefeated in the regular season and 22-1 overall. They were Hancock County champions, and were named to all-conference, all-district and all-state teams.
They are the Daily Reporter’s Hancock County Girls Tennis Athletes of the Year.
“We knew what we had coming in and if Kylie wants to try doubles, I’m all for it. Let’s do it,” Muterspaugh said. “The big thing we had to do, with Kylie being such a good player, the partner we had to find had to be extremely confident, hate to lose and be coachable. When we put all three of those things together it made perfect sense to give Ava the first shot and see if she could blossom with Kylie. To see how the season went, it was absolutely amazing.”
Both Brandes and Lusby were glad to change from stressful singles to enjoyable doubles. They enjoyed having a teammate on the court with them.
Brandes is a Division I soccer recruit — verbally committed to Austin Peay — and more comfortable in a team setting. Lusby, who will go to school at Ball State this fall, was the same after spending a number of years in the Mt. Vernon basketball program.
“I wanted to play doubles,” Brandes said. “Singles is such a mind-game with yourself. I wanted a change and I love having a partner because, like in soccer, your on the field with different players. I love the team aspect of it.”
“I had an idea (Gabe) was going to move me to doubles,” Lusby said. “He asked if I were to play doubles who would I like to play with. I said Kylie right off the bat, but I trusted whatever he wanted to do.”
Neither player had played much doubles. Brandes had never played it at the competitive level. Lusby was a JV doubles player as a freshman.
Even during the growing pains of learning how to play together the pair was still winning.
Muterspaugh knew they had the potential to have a great season after an early-season straight set win over the No. 1 doubles team of state-ranked Center Grove.
Brandes and Lusby only lost two sets throughout the regular season before falling in the regional tournament against a Fishers team that eventually finished as state runners-up.
Both agreed that their friendship, communication skills and overall chemistry were big keys to their success.
“(We were always) cheering each other on,” Lusby said. “When you play singles, you win a point, even if it’s huge, in singles you turn around and walk away, but when see hits an amazing shot I can scream for that. I can get more excited and show emotion on the court.”
“Their chemistry was second to none,” Muterspaugh said. “I knew early on when things were down, Ava would pull it out for Kylie and Kylie would pull it out for Ava. They brought the best out of each other. That’s the chemistry you can’t teach. They had it early on and they both wanted the best for the team. They both have a deep desire not to lose. They are two of the most competitive girls I’ve ever had.”
The Brandes-Lusby combo was the first Mt. Vernon doubles team in 33 years to go undefeated in the regular season.
In fact there’s a pretty strong connection to that 1991 group.
Muterspaugh and Kylie’s, dad, Jeff Brandes, who is an assistant coach with the team, were doubles partners in high school.
They went 21-1 during the fall of 1991.
“I knew that was him and Gabe’s thing,” Kylie said of her dad and Muterspaugh’s playing days. “I think it’s really cool I got to be in the same position as him and win as much.”
“I always want our players to do better than what we ever did.” Muterspaugh said. “It’s pretty neat. Jeff and I played together and his daughter beats us. It’s really cool that her and Ava were able to do that.”
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The Daily Reporter
2024 All-Hancock County
Girls Tennis Team
Girls Tennis Athletes of the Year: Kylie Brandes and Ava Lusby, Mt. Vernon
Girls Tennis Coach of the Year: Gabe Muterspaugh, Mt. Vernon
*All-Hancock County Team
No. 1 singles: Caroline Allen, Mt. Vernon
No. 2 singles: Ginni Morelli, Mt. Vernon
No. 3 singles: Maria Downs, Mt. Vernon
No. 1 doubles: Kylie Brandes, Ava Lusby, Mt. Vernon
No. 2 doubles: Addy Lockwood, Sophie Maxwell, Mt. Vernon
Honorable mention: Singles – Lexi Swauger, Eastern Hancock; Bethany Blachly, New Palestine; Maizy Haynes, New Palestine; Doubles – Josephine Harvey/Emily Appleby, New Palestine; Amelia Schneider/Riley Watts, New Palestine; Madi Succaw/Lauren Haffner, Greenfield-Central
*All-county team determined by results from Hancock County Tournament. Runners-up were selected as honorable mention with the addition of the G-C doubles team that won the individual sectional doubles tournament. championship.
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2024 Hancock County Spring Sports Honors
Sport;Athlete of the Year;Coach of the Year
Boys volleyball;Eli Martin, New Palestine
Girls track events;Bella Sotelo, Eastern Hancock;Mark Foster, Greenfield-Central
Girls field events;Ellie Meyer, Eastern Hancock
Boys track events;Andres Langston, Mt. Vernon; Nick Clarkson, Mt. Vernon
Boys field events;Elliot Ryba, Greenfield-Central
Girls tennis;Kylie Brandes and Ava Lusby, Mt. Vernon;Gabe Muterspaugh, Mt. Vernon
Boys golf;Coming July 20
Baseball;Coming July 24
Softball;Coming July 31
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