The rustling of tennis rackets in bags and the sound of balls hitting the court was only the beginning of the battle between the Lady Indians and the Lady Bulldogs on May 22 at Crown Point High School. It was expected for there to be a challenge on every court, and that expectation turned into reality as the five matches began. In the end, however, the Indians lost 2-3.
“I think we could have won, but you never know what’s going to happen. It was 2-2 at the last moment, and it just comes down to one match. But [the team] put up a great fight,” Navneet Kaur (12) said.
Kaur was one of two positions that won at Sectionals, and because she plays at a one varsity position, she will be moving on to the next round with her partner, Emily Birlson (12).
“For the next round I want to beat Hobart 6-0, 6-0. And I want [us] to do the same against Merrillville, so we can advance to Regionals. Ultimately, I would love for us to win state it’s our senior year, but I would be very happy to make it to semi-state,” Emily Birlson (12) said.
The team will have three members advancing to the next round, including singles player Kristina Tinsley (10), but the losing positions will not be continuing. The three singles player is using the loss as an experience to learn from.
“It was really exciting [to play], and I felt very proud of myself for getting so far. [Being able to play] really boosted my confidence because I felt like the coaches really trusted me,” Anna Wachowski (10) said.
The Indians are looking forward continuing their battle into the postseason matches. With hopes for making it to semi-state, the varsity singles and doubles players are taking one match at a time in order to keep themselves focused and reach their goal.
