By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Facing formidable firepower across the net, Bedford North Lawrence’s top doubles duo had two options. Retreat backward and absorb the sizzling shots sprayed with devilish heat, or attack and meet the adversary head on.
Goaded constantly by head coach Joni Stigall, BNL’s senior tandem of Izzy Alldredge and Kenley Craig chose the aggressive stance. And it worked as the Stars won a tough three-set clash. However, even a win in the best contest of the match could not keep BNL from suffering a team setback.
Jeffersonville advanced to the championship match of the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament with a 3-2 victory over BNL on Friday. The Stars, handling double duty as they celebrated Senior Night for their eight upperclassmen, dropped into the consolation round to face Seymour.
Alldredge and Craig were outstanding as they recorded an impressive triumph at No.1 doubles, and Nadia Anderson posted a win at No.3 singles. But the Devils dominated the other courts while earning a clash with Floyd Central for the league crown.
During the 10-minute break following the second set, Stigall spent most of her coaching time imploring her Stars to attack the net. The Devils, especially hard-hitting Abby Leep, were forcing Craig and Alldredge to spend too much time on the baseline, and Leep’s scorching ground strokes were causing considerable problems. The answer was shortening the distance, catching the shot at the net rather than attempting to catch up from long range.
“She was right,” Alldredge admitted with a smile. “She said multiple times ‘Go to the net.’ And it worked.”
The result was a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win. BNL’s strong suit is volleying at the net, so the Stars played to that strength.
“That’s the best match I’ve seen them play, for sure,” Stigall said. “I was holding my breath the whole time. They finally listened and we played real doubles.”
The turning point was a service break in the third set for a 4-2 advantage.
“Our goal was to have fun,” Alldredge said. “That needs to be our goal every night. We weren’t going to win if we didn’t have fun. It took off some of the pressure. We’ve already had such a great season, and this was our one night to take a chill pill.“
“It feels amazing,” Craig said. “We wanted to win, but we wanted to have fun. We play well when we have fun.”
Anderson’s win, a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Abi Lemon, was doubly sweet for a senior who overcame a devastating knee injury to make it to the finish line.
“I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of pressure, everyone wants to win on Senior Night. But it was exciting to win, it meant a lot.”
Her lesson learned? “Stay positive,” she said. “If I didn’t stay positive, I would not be playing.”
Jeffersonville won the top singles as Eva Ellis rolled past Jessie Faubion 6-0, 6-0 at No.1, while Anellah Trujillo topped Ava McKinney 6-2, 6-1 at No.2. The Devils also won at No.2 doubles as Sara Sharp and Elizabeth Shearer stopped Meryl Klein and Emma Conover 6-3, 6-1.
“Everyone played well,” Stigall said. “Her score doesn’t show it, but Jessie played well. She handled it very well, does it with grace and a good attitude.”
BNL will host the Owls in the third-place match on Saturday.
HHC TOURNAMENT
Semifinal round
Jeffersonville 3, BNL 2
Singles
1 Eva Ellis, J d. Jessie Faubion 6-0, 6-0
2 Anellah Trujillo, J d. Ava McKinney 6-2, 6-1
3 Nadia Anderson, BNL d. Abi Lemon 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
1 Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge, BNL d. Claire Stock and Abby Leep 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2 Sara Sharp and Elizabeth Shearer, J d. Meryl Klein and Emma Conover 6-3, 6-1
