By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – What a difference a day truly makes.
Only 24 hours after a listless loss and beatdown sweep, Bedford North Lawrence rebounded in spectacular fashion, transforming from victim to mentally-tough vanquisher with a sweet sweep of Columbus East on Tuesday evening.
Not only did BNL (4-5) bounce back with a 5-0 victory, it accomplished that by winning three three-set battles. Two of those were comebacks after dropping the first set. The team the night before would not have done that.
“They actually fought,” BNL assistant coach Cody East said. “We needed to see that. Last night (during a loss to North Daviess) was tough, and we weren’t happy about it.
“As Chris (Kurtz, the head coach) talks about, go out there with a purpose. We did that. He challenged them, and they showed us how it’s supposed to be done.”
The three-set clashes showed the expected toughness. Jayden Kemp fought back from a first-set setback to conquer Erik Takahashi 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No.1 singles.
“It was mental,” Kemp said of the turnaround. “I was in my head a little bit. I just tried to stay calm and find my groove., find the sweet spot with my ground strokes.”
Both doubles matches also went the distance. At No.1, Drew Stephenson and Neal Patel won late service breaks in the final two sets to clip East’s Henry Ulrich and Iynigo Tan 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. At No.2, Gavin Baker and Jackson Corey rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the deciding tiebreaker to topple Tyler Ernst and Trevor Ernst 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).
In the lower singles, Orion Hill won the key points during a 7-5, 6-4 win over Brady Redelman at No.2. Braxton Fugate was the only one with a smooth match as he zipped past Owen Kirk 6-2, 6-0 at No.3.
The Stars will host Seymour on Thursday.
BNL 5, Columbus East 0
Singles
1 Jayden Kemp d. Erik Takahashi 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2 Orion Hill d. Brady Redelman 7-5, 6-4
3 Braxton Fugate d. Owen Kirk 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1 Drew Stephenson and Neal Patel d. Henry Ulrich and Iynigo Tan 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
2 Gavin Baker and Jackson Corey d. Tyler Ernst and Trevor Ernst 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5)
