Hard work pays off big time: Tiger Cubs claim girls' tennis sectional crown
When Kevin Rowe was hired as Greencastle's girls' tennis coach three years ago, he knew it would take a little while to get the program to a championship level.
Friday night, three years of hard work by the Tiger Cubs paid off as Greencastle defeated Northview 4-1 to win its first girls' sectional tennis title since 2004.
"We've been working toward this for three years," Rowe said. "They have been three years of hard by these girls, and I couldn't be prouder of them. They spent a lot of hours hitting in the off-season and were really dedicated and resilient.
Like many other teams, the bad spring weather limited Greencastle's ability to get in all of its matches. The Tiger Cubs now stand at just 9-3 after their two sectional victories this week.
"We started off the season slow, but we turned it around in the middle," Rowe said. "We improved our skills and our confidence, and we turned into a better team as much mentally as physically, and that was good."
Senior Rachel Chadd, the team's No. 2 singles player, credits Rowe for his role in the championship.
"Coach Rowe has been a big part of this," she said. "He has always been supportive, and is always spending time with us to help us get better.
"Having him to help us build up our skill was important for us to be where we are."
Chadd and her teammates knew a sectional title was a possibility, especially with their familiarity with each other.
"We didn't have anybody graduate from last year, so we have the same lineup and we've been working really hard all season and in the off-season," she said. "This really means a lot to us."
The match was pretty devoid of tension, as the Tiger Cubs won the first two matches -- Madison Trout at No. 3 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Lily Spencer and Lydia Trout -- and only had to win one of the other three matches to claim the title.
The deciding victory was turned in by Greencastle's No. 2 doubles team of Nicole Newgent and Madeline Graham, which won its match 6-3, 6-4 to claim the title.
The remaining matches, No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles, still needed to be played but no longer mattered as far as determining the overall winner.
Chadd played well but lost her match, a three-setter to Northview's Ellie Tipton. Greencastle's Bailey Zapp outlasted Ashley Heck 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 at the No. 1 position to allow the celebration to officially begin.
Zapp admitted being exhausted after her approximately two-and-a-half hour marathon, but didn't mind the feeling at all.
"It's a 'good' exhausted," she said. "This means everything. We've been working, some of us for three years and some of us for four years, and there's no explanation as to how great this feels right now. It's been a while since our school has won, and that makes it special too."
Northview defeated Greencastle 3-2 on April 18, and was the host site for the tourney's first three matches. Rainfall Friday afternoon forced the final match to be moved to DePauw University's indoor courts.
Rowe said the first encounter with Northview was a tough match, and he knew his team could turn it around.
"The first time we played them we lost 3-2," he said. "We lost at multiple positions in three sets, and I knew it was going to be a fight this time around.
"Northview and their coach [Emily Goff] did a commendable job this year after losing five seniors last year," he added. "They had a really good season. I'm really excited that our girls continued to work hard, and I'm really happy for them."
Zapp admitted it was nice to have the pressure of winning removed as she was playing the final match of the night.
"It definitely made it much easier," she said. "I was just playing for fun at that point, and it made it more enjoyable -- and a sweeter win. We definitely wanted to pay them back since they beat us in the regular season."
Greencastle now advances to Tuesday's Crawfordsville regional, where the Tiger Cubs will meet the host Athenians (16-5).
The other semifinal matchup is between Fountain Central and undefeated and No. 8-ranked Terre Haute South.
The winners will meet on Wednesday in the championship.
Greencastle 4, Northview 1
Singles -- 1. Bailey Zapp (G) def. Ashley Heck (N) 7-5, 4-6, 6-0; 2. Ellie Tipton (N) def. Rachel Chadd (G) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5; 3. Madison Trout (G) def. Megan Heck (N) 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles -- 1. Lily Spencer-Lydia Trout (G) def. Grace Timberman-Sydney Joliff (N) 6-4, 6-1; 2. Nicole Newgent-Madeline Graham (G) def. Julie Casteneda-Madison Russell (N) 6-3, 6-4.