Lady Wildcats return to regional
May 25, 2021 at 8:24 p.m.
Lady Wildcats return to regional
By Will Fehlinger-
The title is the fifth in the past six years for the program, halted only by COVID-19 last spring. The finals took place Friday evening as FC did enough to eliminate conference rival and tournament host Connersville, 3-2.
“This is a big win and we’re excited to go to the regional,” said Huerkamp, noting her team planned for such a result. “The girls played hard when they needed to.”
This included the No. 2 doubles team of Nicole Mears and Kaylin Knapp, who found themselves down 4-1 in the second set after winning the first set. A sweep of the sets would clinch the championship for FC, due to Elise Klei and Kacie Williams having already won in straight sets at No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively.
The duo ran off a string of games to eventually overtake Morgan Dafler and Cheryl Garrison and receive a group of elated teammates on the court.
“I don’t know if they knew what they were getting into because Nicole was sick the first time we played them and they hadn’t seen her before,” said the coach.
That season matchup took place the first week of May (4-1 FC win) and saw a much different lineup than what coach Chris Bloom penciled in Friday.
“We were ready for that,” added Huerkamp. “It was probably a smart move, but we came out ahead.”
Klei defeated Haley Baker and Williams topped Bailey Wilson to put the Wildcats up 2-0. At No. 1 doubles, the pair of Gwyneth Kibbey and Rylee Fuller for the Spartans defeated Grace Roth and Rae Ertel in two sets. The other point for the hosts came when Kerstin Ellis rallied from a one-set deficit to defeat Allie Routh at No. 1 singles.
Huerkamp looked around at her team about midway through the season and said, “We’re pretty good, we got this.”
“They’re all really good players and each (position) has a winning record,” added the FC mentor. “I’ve seen so much improvement from the first day of practice. Everyone’s done their part all season long.”
FC opened the regional at Richmond Tuesday against Cambridge City Lincoln as the Golden Eagles earned a rare sectional crown. The result was too late for publication. A Wildcat win would place them in the regional finals May 26 against either Blue River Valley or Lawrenceburg, the Tigers winning sectional for the first time since the mid-90s.
Fuller/Kibbey and Ellis did move on to Richmond to compete in the individual state singles and doubles tournaments that coincide with the team tourney.
Semifinals vs. Union Co.
The Cats had little trouble with neighboring Union County in the semifinal round last Wednesday, not permitting the all-senior Lady Patriots to win any sets in a 5-0 win.
Klei and Williams each won 6-0, 6-1 over Ella Reis and Hayley Kottka, respectively. Knapp and Mears, along with Routh, were equally successful as the second doubles team won 6-1, 6-1 over Anna Buckler and Ellie Pitcher and FC’s ace posted a 6-0, 6-2 final over Emily Harrison. Ertel and Roth overcame a challenge from Kylie Hetzer and Ryleigh Hollen to win 7-5, 6-1.
Connersville defeated Rushville 3-2 in the other semifinal.
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The title is the fifth in the past six years for the program, halted only by COVID-19 last spring. The finals took place Friday evening as FC did enough to eliminate conference rival and tournament host Connersville, 3-2.
“This is a big win and we’re excited to go to the regional,” said Huerkamp, noting her team planned for such a result. “The girls played hard when they needed to.”
This included the No. 2 doubles team of Nicole Mears and Kaylin Knapp, who found themselves down 4-1 in the second set after winning the first set. A sweep of the sets would clinch the championship for FC, due to Elise Klei and Kacie Williams having already won in straight sets at No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively.
The duo ran off a string of games to eventually overtake Morgan Dafler and Cheryl Garrison and receive a group of elated teammates on the court.
“I don’t know if they knew what they were getting into because Nicole was sick the first time we played them and they hadn’t seen her before,” said the coach.
That season matchup took place the first week of May (4-1 FC win) and saw a much different lineup than what coach Chris Bloom penciled in Friday.
“We were ready for that,” added Huerkamp. “It was probably a smart move, but we came out ahead.”
Klei defeated Haley Baker and Williams topped Bailey Wilson to put the Wildcats up 2-0. At No. 1 doubles, the pair of Gwyneth Kibbey and Rylee Fuller for the Spartans defeated Grace Roth and Rae Ertel in two sets. The other point for the hosts came when Kerstin Ellis rallied from a one-set deficit to defeat Allie Routh at No. 1 singles.
Huerkamp looked around at her team about midway through the season and said, “We’re pretty good, we got this.”
“They’re all really good players and each (position) has a winning record,” added the FC mentor. “I’ve seen so much improvement from the first day of practice. Everyone’s done their part all season long.”
FC opened the regional at Richmond Tuesday against Cambridge City Lincoln as the Golden Eagles earned a rare sectional crown. The result was too late for publication. A Wildcat win would place them in the regional finals May 26 against either Blue River Valley or Lawrenceburg, the Tigers winning sectional for the first time since the mid-90s.
Fuller/Kibbey and Ellis did move on to Richmond to compete in the individual state singles and doubles tournaments that coincide with the team tourney.
Semifinals vs. Union Co.
The Cats had little trouble with neighboring Union County in the semifinal round last Wednesday, not permitting the all-senior Lady Patriots to win any sets in a 5-0 win.
Klei and Williams each won 6-0, 6-1 over Ella Reis and Hayley Kottka, respectively. Knapp and Mears, along with Routh, were equally successful as the second doubles team won 6-1, 6-1 over Anna Buckler and Ellie Pitcher and FC’s ace posted a 6-0, 6-2 final over Emily Harrison. Ertel and Roth overcame a challenge from Kylie Hetzer and Ryleigh Hollen to win 7-5, 6-1.
Connersville defeated Rushville 3-2 in the other semifinal.
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