BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence survived a battle of attrition and wills to win its first tennis sectional championship since 2010 with a tense victory over Seymour in the final on Saturday afternoon.
The Stars edged Trinity Lutheran 4-1 in the morning semifinal, then clipped the Owls 3-2 in the finale for the seventh sectional title in program history. BNL advanced to the two-match regional at Colulmbus North and will face Southwestern Hanover in the semifinal on Tuesday. Columbus North will meet East Central in the other semifinal.
BNL, facing Seymour for the third time this season, proved how physical fitness and stamina play an important part. Two Seymour players had to withdraw with injuries during the final match.
“You know, that’s why we condition,” BNL coach Joni Stigall said. “It made a difference. We’ll take a win, no matter what. The girls deserve it, they work hard without a lot of recognition for that. That’s what they deserve, they are so happy.“
BNL went the distance to win No.1 doubles. Izzy Alldredge and Kenley Craig stopped Addison Hunsley and Kelsea Hunsley 6-4, 6-2 in the rubber match of their three-match series this season.
“We just realized we didn’t have time to make mistakes,” Alldredge said. “We cut down on errors, and we had fun. If you don’t have a good mindset, there’s no point.”
In singles, BNL’s Jessie Faubion won at No.1 when Seymour’s Ava Sunbury withdrew with heat exhaustion in the first set. Nadia Anderson won at No.3 singles when Claire Combs suffered an ankle injury early in the first set and could not continue.
“It was a tough match,” Stigall said. “They had to dig, and they did. They stayed strong. They wanted it more than the other team today.”
Seymour won at No.2 singles as Elise Hartung topped Ava McKinney 6-3, 6-1, while Tori Fee and Emma Woodard battled past Meryl Klein and Emma Conover 4-6, 7-6, 10-5 at No.2 doubles.
For BNL’s eight seniors, the victory was especially sweet.
“It’s a state of awe,” Alldredge said. “I don’t know that I’ve taken it in yet. It will take a second.
“It was in the back of all our minds. It’s senior year, go out with a bang. That was a key component. We wanted it so bad. It’s super exciting.”
In the morning semifinal against the Cougars, the Stars swept the doubles en route to the final. Craig and Alldredge went three sets to clip Trinity’s Carson Bowling and Kiley Zabel 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 at No.1, while Klein and Conover conquered Emily Keller and Natalee Martinez 6-3, 6-4 at No.2.
The Stars also carded wins in the lower singles as McKinney stopped Katie Malone 6-2, 6-2 at No.2, and Anderson rolled past Presley Meyer 6-0, 6-1 at No.3.
Stigall was a part of BNL’s four-year title run from 1996-99. She will step down as coach after this season, so this victory was a going-away present.
“I honestly thought I was going to leave without having one,” Stigall said. “It’s a big deal to me, but definitely to these girls. This team is full of seniors, and they finally got one. They’re over the moon.”
IHSAA SECTIONAL
Semifinal
BNL 4, Trinity Lutheran 1
Singles
1 Drew Hubbard, TL d. Jessie Faubion 6-1, 6-0
2 Ava McKinney, BNL d. Katie Malone 6-2, 6-2
3 Nadia Anderson, BNL d. Presley Meyer 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
1 Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge, BNL d. Carson Bowling and Kiley Zabel 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
2 Meryl Klein and Emma Conover, BNL d. Emily Keller and Natalee Martinez 6-3, 6-4
Championship
BNL 3, Seymour 2
Singles
1 Jessie Faubion, BNL d. Ava Sunbury 1-4 (retired, injury)
2 Elise Hartung, S d. Ava McKinney 6-3, 6-1
3 Nadia Anderson, BNL d. Claire Combs 2-3 (retired, injury)
Doubles
1 Kenley Craig and Izzy Alldredge, BNL d. Addison Hunsley and Kelsea Hunsley 6-4, 6-2
2 Tori Fee and Emma Woodard, S d. Meryl Klein and Emma Conover 4-6, 7-6, 10-5
