FORTVILLE — Even after a year away, some things don’t change. And, that’s exactly how Mt. Vernon tennis coach Gabe Muterspaugh likes it.
As his Marauders filed out Thursday evening, there came with each player’s departure an accompanying light-hearted remark alongside the Mt. Vernon tennis court fence.
Each jest served up by Muterspaugh surfaced a smile or a chuckle.
After scoring five consecutive straight-set match wins over Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Shelbyville at home, 5-0, to improve their season record to 3-0 and 2-0 in the league, the Marauders didn’t need much of a pep talk.
So far, they are picking up where they left off and are proving their 2020 break hasn’t impacted their winning mindset.
“We’ve missed them for two years now. It was 682 days, and you don’t know what other schools have, but as long as you can convince your girls that we’re good and we’re confident and you’re usually the best player, then we’re in good shape,” Muterspaugh said.
In 2019, the last time the Mt. Vernon girls tennis team competed, they captured yet another Hancock County team title and secured their sixth consecutive sectional team championship and 14th overall.
Their final match resulted in a 4-1 loss to Hamilton Southeastern at regional, but as is routine, they are building once more in the early portion of April.
“Mt. Vernon still means something, so I tell them, let’s get at it, and we have. We haven’t put it together like we think we can yet, but that’s why we have early-season matches,” Muterspaugh said. “By the end, we’ll be ready to steal people’s souls.”
All joking aside, the Marauders are fixated on replicating their past, if not exceeding it, in addition to what Muterspaugh’s boys team already accomplished this past fall.
As a group, the boys tennis team won 18 straight matches en route to retaining its stranglehold on the Hancock County Tennis Championship team title and finished second in the HHC while repeating as sectional champions.
At 21-2 overall — a single-season record for wins — the Marauders boys claimed their 13th sectional team title in program history and reached the team regional finals for the first time in boys program history.
The girls want to keep the winning tennis wave going this spring.
“I think the girls have really embraced the challenge of it not just being fun. It’s something you have to work at, too. That’s one of the biggest parts of the tradition,” Mt. Vernon senior No. 1 singles player Lydia Ruegsegger said.
“I feel like even though we missed a year, it doesn’t feel like we did because we still mesh really well as a team and the girls are really excited to be here. I’m really excited to be here. I think that break made us more eager to play better and maybe prove that we can go without a loss this season.”
The Marauders are well on their way towards their goal, opening the season with a 5-0 win over HHC foe Pendleton Heights last week and besting Shenandoah 4-1 in their home opener on Wednesday.
Ruegsegger wasted minimal energy, nailing down her match against Shelbyville 6-1, 6-0, as one of the team’s trio of varsity returners from 2019.
“She’s an all-state candidate. She’s a monster. We call her the machine,” Muterspaugh said.
Rightfully so, the Marauders’ team captain earned the No. 1 singles spot as a sophomore and retained it this preseason. She’s off to a 3-0 start.
Ruegsegger cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win on Wednesday and won 6-2, 6-0 against Pendleton Heights during the season opener.
Senior Lexi Shelton, another returner, teamed with junior Cici Bulmahn on Thursday to win 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles. Shelton started at No. 1 doubles in 2019 and went 19-2 with her former partner, junior Maddie Swingle, who is now at No. 2 doubles.
Swingle and fellow Mt. Vernon girls soccer standout Anna Isger won over Shelbyville 6-0, 6-0.
Junior Carly Wilkerson rolled at No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-1 against the visiting Golden Bears, while senior Hannah Smith finalized the sweep with a 7-6, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles.
Each win was greeted by an expectation met.
“That’s what culture is, and I’ve been very fortunate to be in my 26th year here and I’ve had some very good assistant coaches. I want people who are smarter than me, and it doesn’t take much for that to happen, but (assistant) Graham McMullen has been huge for the program,” Muterspaugh said.
“It’s a big family, and we’ve always stressed that. We got our boys that come out and hit with the girls during practice. It makes all the difference in the world, and sometimes it’s competitive. The boys will say, ‘Hey, we went 21-2. And, the girls will say, we’re going to go 22-1.’ That’s what athletics is about.”
The Marauders have plenty of athletes with Swingle and Isger both winning a soccer sectional in the fall. Swingle was also part of Mt. Vernon’s girls basketball sectional title run along with Shelton, and Bulmahn continues to show out as one of the best volleyball players in the HHC and county.
“I think everyone has a sense of urgency because they know what it’s like to win at other sports. It’s a sense of not wanting to lose in other sports, so they don’t want to lose in this sport either,” Ruegsegger said. “It’s a good mix of good competitive girls.”
The Marauders host their own invitational this weekend before a pair of HHC matchups next week. They face No. 14 Delta, as ranked by the IHSTECA, on Wednesday at home and then host rival Greenfield-Central on Thursday, April 22. The county tournament is Friday, April 23.
The Marauders are currently ranked 30th in the state poll and second behind Delta in the District 4 rankings.
“It’s easy to take for granted what you have because it’s always been there, and then when we didn’t have last year, it makes you really respect, value and embrace and love what you’re doing. That’s what we’re doing this year,” Muterspaugh said. “I love it. The girls love it. I love it every single day.”
