South Putnam records second win of the season

South Putnam's boys' tennis team picked up their second win of the season Monday night, topping Danville 3-2 in varsity action.

South Putnam No. 1 singles player J.D. Briones dropped his opening set before rallying for a three set victory over Danville's Nick Newman 4-6, 6-0 and 6-1.

It was the same story for Eagle No. 2 Tyler Long, who had to come from a set down to best Warrior No. 2 Nick Steinmetz 1-6, 6-0 and 6-4.

In No. 3 singles, South Putnam's Colin Berry swept Danville's Austin Allen 6-4 and 6-4 to seal the victory for the hosts.

The No. 1 doubles combination of Trey Moore and Aaron Ross were defeated by Nick Nelson and Daniel Dieckman 7-6 and 6-2, while No. 2 pair Zane Crosby and Jake Carmichael lost to Jason Stone and Gage Hollandback 6-3 and 7-5.

In JV action, Marcus Ward and the team of Josh Stewart and Sam Russell picked up victories for the Eagles.

South Putnam head coach Allan Rains said that the squad continued to show improvement and proved something to themselves.

"Tonight, our three singles won and we had strong showings from our doubles' teams. I'm pleased with the improvement we've shown," Rains said.

"The kids are improving every game. For a first year program, I think the kids are pretty relaxed for the most part and making an attempt at playing."

Rains in particular noted the effort of his three singles players.

"J.D. probably played his best match of the year, regardless of winning or losing. He played a strong mental game tonight by not getting flustered and staying focused on his game," Rains said.

"Tyler Long did the same thing. He's got skills as good as a lot of the kids he has played but he might lose focus for stretches. He didn't lose focus tonight and pulled out a big win for us.

"Colin Berry was so consistent about keeping the ball in play, something he has done all season. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes," Rains added.

"Our two doubles teams are starting to mesh together and know each other's moves. They've been competitive all year long and I'm pleased with their progress."

The Eagle JV players also got a chance to take the court and Rains said that playing someone in a different color shirt was something they all looked forward to.

"The JV guys were excited for tonight because they've been practicing against the same three or four guys every night. They were hungry tonight to get involved," Rains said.

And for the whole squad, Rains said matches with Northview Wednesday and Crawfordsville Thursday would be a chance for the Eagles to continue to build confidence.

"I think they're going to be even hungrier now. They've been excellent in practice and I think they see now it's about making shots consistently," Rains said.

"They know it's not magical or anything like that. It's just keeping the ball in play, using the volleys at the right time and I think they'll be anxious to do that."

At South Putnam

South Putnam 3, Danville 2

Singles

No. 1: Briones (SP) d. Newman (D) 4-6 6-0 6-1

No. 2: Long (SP) d. Steinmetz (D) 1-6 6-0 6-4

No. 3: Berry (SP) d. Allen (D) 6-4 6-4

Doubles

No. 1: Nelson/Dieckman (D) d. Moore/Cole (SP) 7-6 6-2

No. 2: Stone/Hollandback (D) d. Carmichael/Crosby (SP) 6-3 7-5

Next match: South Putnam travels to Northview Wednesday.