Lady Redskins Down WBL Foe Shawnee
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP- The Wapakoneta Girls Tennis Team was successful over the Shawnee Indians on Monday 3-2 in a pivotal Western Buckeye League match.
“So proud of our girls tonight. I believe this is our first win over Shawnee since 2016. It means a lot to our girls, and they’ve worked hard to get to this point,” Head Coach Austin Scott said excitedly. “It was a must win to stay in WBL championship contention, and they were up for the big challenge that Shawnee imposed.”
In first singles play, Wapakoneta sophomore Liberty Jolly fell to Shawnee senior Ava Patel 1-6, 0-6. “Liberty played really well tonight despite the final result on the scoreboard. She went up against not only the best player in the WBL, but one of the best tennis players in the state,” Scott expressed. “There were some good takeaways from this match to apply to the rest of our season!”
Wapakoneta junior Kate Eley was able to secure a win over Indian junior Brailynn Murphy 6-2, 6-3 in the second singles match. “This was really big for Kate. She’s been really good these last three weeks. She had a minor setback against Bath last week but she refused to let that carry over into today’s match,” stated Scott. “She cleaned the slate and started fresh today, and it paid off. Really excited about her tournament chances,” Scott added.
In the third singles match of the night, Redskin Brooklyn Mowery continued her undefeated season after her win over Shawnee’s Alivia Mack 6-1, 6-2. “Brooklyn continues just an incredible streak. 13-0 now. She has worked so hard since the end of last season to get to this point, and I’m so proud of her,” said Scott. “She continues to focus forward, and I’m really encouraged heading into the tournament season.”
Wapakoneta’s Anja Walters and Mylie Moser got the win over Indians Briley Ryan and Norah Mulder 6-1, 6-1 in the first doubles match. “Anja and Mylie remain undefeated in the league. This was a big win for them tonight as well,” Scott noted. “They just continued to strengthen their doubles bond, and they can accomplish anything if they keep believing in each other.”
In second doubles, Wapakoneta sophomore Hannah Palmer and junior Neveah Dancer fell short against Shawnee’s sophomore Leah Fuller and freshman Riya Naroor 5-7, 7-6, (7-1), 4-6. “Nevaeh and Hannah fought tooth and nail tonight against a really good second doubles team, and they were so close to pulling it off,” explained Scott. “This was just their fourth match together, but from the performance they put together, you’d swear they’ve been together all season.”
With the win, Wapakoneta improved to 9-4 (6-2 in WBL) on the year and will play Wednesday at home versus Findlay. They also play their final regular season and senior night match against Kenton at home in a league match on Thursday.