Manchester’s dream season came to a stunning end Saturday morning, May 20, as the host Lady Tigers reversed a 3-2 loss to the Lady Squires a week earlier to claim the 2023 Peru Sectional title.
Peru forfeited the No. 1 doubles match giving Manchester a 1-0 lead before the first serve was even thrown up.
Manchester made it a 2-0 lead when Addison Brubaker and Hailey Krom won at No. 2 doubles, 6-1, 6-1.
Peru picked up their first point when Mackey Hyde defeated Manchester’s Sarah Kerlin, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 1 singles to cut the score to 2-1 in favor of Manchester.
Meanwhile, freshmen Myla Crozier at No. 2 singles and Bethany Penrod at No. 3, were in tight battles.
Within minutes of each other, Crozier dropped the first set in a tiebreak, 7-5, to Peru’s Lauren Boyer, and Penrod lost a close first set, 6-4, to Emma Eldridge.
A week earlier, Penrod dominated Eldridge, but Saturday, she dropped the second set, 6-2, evening the team score at 2-2, and all eyes turned to Court No. 2.
Crozier lost a long 3-set match in her regular season match with Boyer but after dropping the first set Saturday, fell, 6-2, in the second set, ending the match.
Manchester’s season ended with a 16-2 overall record with a perfect 8-0 conference record in the Three Rivers Conference to claim the regular season title.
Manchester’s No. 1 doubles team of Delani Henderson and Carleigh Blevins advanced to the Individual Sectional by remaining undefeated in the team tournament, going 3-0.
Manchester 5, Maconaquah 0
Manchester started the sectional with a 5-0 win over Maconaquah with Kerlin and Crozier each winning, 6-1, 6-0, and Penrod coming out on top, 6-0, 6-2.
Henderson and Jones won easily at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2, and Brubaker and Krom were victorious, 6-1, 6-1.
Peru 3, Northfield 2
(Scores not available)
Manchester 5, Southwood 0
The Lady Squires had no trouble with Southwood, giving up just three games.
In singles play, Kerlin beat Carrie Collins, 6-0, 6-0, followed by Crozier defeating Courtney Finney, 6-0, 6-1, and Penrod beating Alaina Dague, 6-0, 6-0.
Blevins and Henderson defeated Lyndzy Silvers and Sarah Grace, 6-1, 6-0, and Brubaker and Krom beat Lydia Topliff and Brody Vandermark, 6-0, 6-1.
Peru 5, Wabash 0
Wabash lost to Peru, 5-0.
In singles play, Anne Cole lost, 6-0, 6-0, Elena Peña Olalla lost, 6-1, 6-0, and Talia Carrillo fell, 6-3, 6-2.
In doubles play, Kasey Long and Alexa Johnson lost, 6-0,6-0, and Mar Perez and Abi Hipskind lost, 6-2, 6-0.