FORTVILLE — To win its 13th straight Hancock County girls tennis tournament, Mt. Vernon was going to have to win what was basically equivalent to a dual meet against rival New Palestine.
In Friday’s Hancock County Girls Tennis Championships at Mt. Vernon High School, the Marauders and Dragons won nine of the 10 first-round matches.
Final team totals were unavailable at press time as all five championship matches were still in play (There will be more on the county tournament in Tuesday’s edition of the Greenfield Daily Reporter.).
The only thing determined, as of press time Friday, was the winner was going to be either Mt. Vernon or New Palestine.
Four of the five title matches were Mt. Vernon versus New Palestine.
Mt. Vernon won all five of its first round matches. New Palestine won four of five.
In the No. 3 singles semifinals, Mt. Vernon’s Maria Downs beat New Palestine’s Courtney Johnson 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 in a super tie-breaker. In the other semifinal, Greenfield-Central’s Madison Succaw downed Eastern Hancock’s Allissa Smithson, 6-1, 6-1. It set up a rematch of Downs-Succaw. They played Thursday in a dual meet. Downs won Thursday’s match in straight sets.
For third place, Johnson beat Smithson 6-3, 6-2.
The Marauders came into the tournament with some adversity, too. No. 1 singles player, and defending county champion, Kylie Brandes was unable to play.
Junior varsity player Regan Ralstin stepped in to the No. 1 spot and won convincingly, 6-2, 6-1 over Eastern Hancock’s Sophie Hardin. Ralstin was playing New Palestine’s No. 1, Olivia Hasenkamp, who was last year’s county champ at No. 2 singles, for the No. 1 individual title.
Hasenkamp got to the championship with a 6-1, 6-4 win over G-C’s Jaclyn Layton.
Layton beat Hardin 6-1, 6-0 in the consolation match.
At No. 2 singles, Mt. Vernon’s Ava Lusby knocked off last year’s No. 3 singles winner Brianna McConnell of Greenfield-Central, 6-1, 1-6, 10-5. New Palestine’s Kaitlyn Mitchell advanced to her flight’s championship with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Eastern Hancock’s Lexi Swauger.
Swauger downed McConnell 6-2, 6-3 in the third-place match.
Both doubles title contests were between the Marauders and Dragons. Mt. Vernon’s Carmen Lugo and Kim Joubert needed a third-set tiebreaker to down Eastern Hancock’s Savanah Hardin and Mikayla Hardy, 4-6, 6-0, 10-8. New Palestine’s Bethany Blachly and Josephine Harvey won 6-3, 6-4 over G-C’s No. 1 team.
At No. 2 doubles, Addy Lockwood and Sophie Maxwell of Mt. Vernon won 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 over Greenfield-Central’s Kammi Anderson and Hallie Smith. New Pal’s Maddy Potter and Alyssa Kauchak defeated EH’s Abby Bolding and Sarah Clark 6-1. 6-0.
Three team points were awarded for a first-round win. Consolation round wins are good for two points. A championship is worth four points.
With all five championship matches and two third-place doubles matches yet to be completed, Mt. Vernon had a 15-14 lead over New Palestine. Greenfield-Central had five points and Eastern Hancock had two.
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2023 Hancock County Girls Tennis Tournament
Team scores (after first round and including three consolation matches): Mt. Vernon 15, New Palestine 14, Greenfield-Central 5, Eastern Hancock 2.
Finals results
Singles
No. 1: Regan Ralstin (MV) vs. Olivia Hasenkamp (NP)
No. 2: Ava Lusby (MV) vs. Kaitlyn Mitchell (NP)
No. 3: Madison Succaw (G-C) vs. Maria Downs (MV)
Doubles
No. 1: Carmen Lugo/Kim Joubert (MV) vs. Bethany Blachly/Jo Harvey (NP)
No. 2: Addy Lockwood/Sophie Maxwell (MV) vs. Maddy Potter/Alyssa Kauchak (NP)
