By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence battled through the wind and unseasonable weather to split matches with Martinsville and Evansville Christian during the Rob Spencer Invitational on the courts at BNL during girls high school tennis action on Saturday.
The Stars (7-4) recorded a 5-0 triumph over the Artesians, then dropped a tough 3-2 decision to the Eagles.
BNL had no trouble with Martinsville, a possible sectional opponent. Becca Epping rolled past Lily Boyd 6-2, 6-0 at No.1 singles, Ashlyn Wever zipped past Kate Collins 6-2, 6-4 at No.2, and Italy Lewis won a third-set tiebreaker to edge Katherine Jackson 6-2, 6-7 (4-7 in the tiebreaker), 10-4 at No.3.
In doubles, BNL’s Bella Stigall and Mallory Pride pounded Maddie MacPhee and Hannah Niese 6-0, 6-2 at No.1, while Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge swept past Cheyenne Hardin and Ava Hess 6-1, 6-0 at No.2.
“We were the better team today against Martinsville,” BNL coach Joni Stigall said. “We also played well.”
In the match against Evansville Christian, the Stars swept the doubles. Stigall and Pride fought off Kate Cashmer and Emerson Hammett 7-5, 6-4 at No.1, while Craig and Alldredge remained unbeaten with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Abbie Brumley and Zozo Zhou at No.2.
The Eagles won all three singles. Madison Smith clipped Epping 6-1, 7-5 at No.1, Berkley Carter topped Wever 6-0, 6-1 at No.2, and Diana May defeated Lewis 6-2, 6-2 at No.3.
“Evansville had big hitters,” Stigall said. “They had players that play in many different spots, so they were experienced with groundstrokes and volleys. They just had too much hitting power at 2 and 3 for us.
“Becca made a real game of her match. Actually, she gave away two whole games on a scoring dispute, which is more than frustrating because she would have won that second set. She figured out her opponent and played her really well. It’s really unfortunate about the scoring, but it’s got to be dealt with before play resumes in the next game and it wasn’t.
“It was a good day of playing for us on a day that got really cold and really windy, really fast.”
The Stars will visit Bloomfield on Monday.
ROB SPENCER INVITATIONAL
BNL 5, MARTINSVILLE 0
Singles
1 Becca Epping d. Lily Boyd 6-2, 6-0
2 Ashlyn Wever d. Kate Collins 6-2, 6-4
3 Italy Lewis d. Katherine Jackson 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 10-4
Doubles
1 Bella Stigall and Mallory Pride d. Maddie MacPhee and Hannah Niese 6-0, 6-2
2 Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge d. Cheyenne Hardin and Ava Hess 6-1, 6-0
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 3, BNL 2
Singles
1 Madison Smith, EC d. Becca Epping 6-1, 7-5
2 Berkley Carter, EC d. Ashlyn Wever 6-0, 6-1
3 Diana May, EC d. Italy Lewis 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1 Bella Stigall and Mallory Pride, BNL d. Kate Cashmer and Emerson Hammett 7-5, 6-4
2 Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge, BNL d. Abbie Brumley and ZoZo Zhou 6-0, 6-0
