Vandalia tennis team downs Hillsboro again
With No. 2 singles player Chelsey Stewart unavailable due to illness, Schroeder was forced to pencil in a lineup he hadn’t used all season long, which made him a little nervous about whether his team would beat the Lady Toppers.
But junior Paige Ehrat earned a win in her first career varsity singles match, and three other individuals and two doubles teams also won to give the Lady Vandals a 6-3 decision, their third win of the season.
Seniors Lauren Wasmuth (6-1, 6-3) and Erika Blackwell (6-4, 6-2), and sophomore Karlee Brimberry (6-4, 6-3) won in singles.
In this season’s first match at Hillsboro, Vandalia won, 5-4, but that day, the Lady Vandals only won three singles matches.
Schroeder believes the team got a fourth win on Monday, because the players have been playing tougher on the court.
“Singles play was a little more aggressive tonight, and that’s what I wanted to see,” he said. “They are finding out that if (they move around the court), we have a better chance of getting more points.”
Seniors Abby Hickerson and Callie George (10-6), and juniors Emilie Britt and Jordan Boren (10-1) came away with doubles wins on Monday by using their trademark aggressive play at the net.
With a 3-5 record on the season and six matches left this year, the time remaining to reach the goal of five wins is running out.
Schroeder said it will be difficult, but not impossible, to meet that goal. But, of the remaining matches, four are against tough opponents
Whether the goal is met or not, Schroeder said he has been satisfied with the effort from his team throughout the season, and he has no reason to believe that attitude will change before the season is over.
Sept. 26
Vandalia 6
Hillsboro 3
Singles
No. 1 Wasmuth won, 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 George lost, 1-6, 1-6
No. 3 Hickerson lost, 5-7, 4-6
No. 4 Brimberry won, 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Ehrat won, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 Blackwell won, 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 Wasmuth/Brimberry lost, 5-10
No. 2 George/Hickerson won, 10-6
No. 3 Britt/Boren won, 10-1
JV
No. 1 Ehrat/Bailey Jones won, 6-0
No. 2 Brittony Cook/Kayla Murray lost, 3-6
No. 3 Megan Dothager/Kristyn Nichols won, 6-2
No. 4 Kendall Leander/Alexandria Schroeder lost, 2-6
No. 5 Courtney Ulmer lost, 2-6
No. 6 Nicole Wells lost, 1-6 Vandalia tennis coach Kevin Schroeder had to scramble to fill out his lineup against Hillsboro on Monday.
Vandalia sophomore Karlee Brimberry returns a hit during a win against Hillsboro on Monday. Brimberry won her singles match, 6-4, 6-3.
