Jasper, Memorial boys tennis seasons ends in state quarterfinals
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No. 9 Jasper and Memorial boys tennis both saw their season come to an end in the IHSAA state quarterfinals on Friday, October 16.
Originally expected to be played at North Central in Indianapolis, the Wildcats and Tigers had their postseason matches moved indoors due to weather. The matches were played at the UIndy Tennis Center.
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Jasper loses top-10 battle to Center Grove
Jasper lost its match to No. 3 Center Grove 5-0. No. 2 singles Nicolas Aguilera and No. 3 singles Michael Braun pushed their respective matches to a third set but were unable to come away with points.
It was a return to the state finals for the Wildcats after missing out on the trip to Indianapolis last season. Coach Scott Yarbrough looks back on not just his group’s performance against Center Grove, but the entirety of the season, with a great appreciation of what was accomplished.
“I thought our team this year did a nice job of continually improving and getting better each day,” Yarbrough said. "I loved the way we battled today. Proud of what these boys accomplished and proud of those 7 seniors and the four years they gave to our program.”
Elliott Rolwing (No. 1 singles), Aguilera and Collin Werner (No. 1 doubles) are the seniors departing from Jasper’s starting lineup.
Memorial pushes Delta
Memorial lost its match to No. 6 Delta 4-1. No. 3 singles Ty Jackson won his match (6-3, 0-6, 6-4), earning the Tigers their lone point.
“Ty’s a great fighter,” Memorial coach Will Hays said. “Ty’s been a really big part of our postseason. He’s only a sophomore, so it’s going to be really exciting to see him grow.”
No. 2 doubles Graham Miller and Andon Baker pushed their match to a third set before losing the tiebreaker 10-7. Hays was proud of the way his team competed throughout the match.
Departing the program is No. 1 singles Zach Woodyard and its No. 1 doubles duo of Kenneth Dilger and Porter Wil. Hays said he valued the trio’s leadership and reliability this season.
Just like Jasper, Memorial made its return to the state finals after a one-year absence. This was accomplished in Will Hays’ first season coaching the group. Memorial was an unranked team for the entirety of this season.
Hays reflects on the campaign with an appreciation of his group’s effort and ability to be coached.
“This team was really good at working hard when they were pushed,” Hays said. “I think they needed a coach like me to push them a little bit. They needed a nudge in the right direction, with that nudge, they were able to put together an amazing season.”
Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @10_Markos_.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Jasper, Memorial boys tennis seasons ends in state quarterfinals