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Montoursville tennis falls to Milton in first round of District 4 Class AA team tournament

By HENRY HUBER 6 min read

Though Milton went into its District 4 Class AA team tournament opener with two losses to its first-round opponent in Montoursville, one coming less than a week prior to the match, that wasn't something that bothered its coaches and players as they prepared for the tournament.

The No. 10-seeded squad had shown they it could hang with them last Thursday, forcing three third sets and earning a straight set win at No. 3 singles.

And on Tuesday at McCall Middle, they played with confidence, even as the going got tough down the stretch.

Through a bout where four matches went to a third set, the Black Panthers came away with three of them, edging out the Warriors, 3-2, in a match where every point mattered. Their doubles duos each took home three set victories before rushing over to junior Emma King following her match-clinching win.

After making its first districts appearance since 2018, the team now harbors a district win under its belt and is set to take on No. 2 seeded Hughesville for a shot at the semifinals.

"It feels amazing, just getting our school's name out and all that kind of stuff," said King on the historic win. "It's the first time we've gone to districts in a while for our school, and I just wanted to help out."

"It was a big win for us," said Milton coach Devin Esch. "I'm just so proud of the girls and how they fought, especially after having lost to this team twice. We came in with confidence, knowing that we can play with them, and I'm proud of how they played."

At the tail end of a back-and-forth match at No. 3 singles, King caught fire at the right time, winning six of her last seven to clinch her three-set match against Montoursville's Kendall Simms. That came after Simms had turned the tide in the second.

Heading into the third set, the pair had exchanged 6-4 set wins, a testament to King's lack of exposure to Simms. By the third set, she had a good feel for the matchup and that showed in her play and ever-growing confidence throughout it.

"In the beginning, I knew I had to learn the strategy," said King on the match. "Like it was rough in the beginning, but once I learned how to work her back and forth and up and down, it definitely helped. Then, just pushing through everything."

Doubles was much of the same, as the Black Panthers dealt with consistent shifts in momentum and battled their way through them.

At No. 2, Carrie King and Maddie Coup shook off a 6-2 loss in the second set, getting out to early leads of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 before winning the last two games to take the match. And at No. 1, Emily Seward and Avery Sassaman faced a 3-6, 1-2 deficit before they started to take control.

"It's easy to get your head down, but the other person will pick you up," said Sassaman on how they remained composed.

"Just the support from the other person not giving up," added Seward.

After Montoursville took a 2-1 lead in that second set, Seward and Sassaman notched back-to-back wins to take it back. They'd hold onto control from there, winning the set 6-4, but Montoursville's Lily Fortin and Ali Ravert wouldn't go away easily.

With a 6-5 deficit in the third, Fortin and Ravert threatened to extend the set to a tiebreaker, getting out to quick leads of 30-0 and 40-15. But Seward and Sassaman scored two straight points, with a well-placed shot to the left from Seward landing just out of reach of Fortin to force deuce.

From there, the duos briefly traded advantage before well-placed shots from Milton forced one Montoursville shot out and another to hit the net, as Seward and Sassaman took the set, 7-5. That win gave the team its first lead of the afternoon at 2-1, with King following suit soon after.

"We started to learn the other team's shots, so we knew where to be to get those shots back" said Seward on the win. "It meant that we kept going and we were there for our team. We kept us in it."

"I was just happy to contribute and help the team," said Sassaman. "Just got to keep our heads up."

For Montoursville, there were positives to take away from the loss.

At No. 1 singles, Jill Stone fended off a tough opponent in Kyleigh Snyder, winning in straight sets after the pair previously went back-and-forth through a three-set, 35-game battle. And with their typical singles No. 2 Elsa Kehrer out, Ally Witter and Simms both filled in nicely, with Witter winning her first tiebreaker of the season in a thrilling, three-set match.

“I thought it was a good match overall,” said Montoursville head coach Shawn Gardner on the team’s performance. “Kendall played very well at No. 3, especially considering it was her first singles match.”

The Warriors graduate a plethora of contributors following the season, but there's still a lot to look forward to with the singles and doubles tournaments on the horizon.

For Milton, the going gets tougher on Thursday, as it prepares to face a tough squad in Hughesville (14-1) that's fresh off its first loss of the season. Nonetheless, the team feels ready for the task at hand.

"I'm just proud of our team," said Seward. "I think if we keep the same energy, we'll make it further."

"It's gonna be a match," said King. "But I think if we just put our minds to it and follow the Lord, I think we can pull it through."

"People thought they knew what to expect for this match too. We were underdogs coming into this and so we're gonna take that same underdog energy and carry it into the next round," said Esch. "You never know what can happen. That's why you play the matches."

Montoursville 3, Milton 2

SINGLES

1. Jill Stone (Mo) def. Kyleigh Snyder 7-5, 6-4. 2. Ally Witter (Mo) def. Emily Waltman 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6). 3. Emma King (Mi) def. Kendall Simms 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

DOUBLES

1. Emily Seward/Avery Sassaman (Mi) def. Lily Fortin/Ali Ravert 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. 2. Carrie King/Maddie Coup (Mi) def. Lila Phillips/Mira Dimassimo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Records: Milton (10-7), Montoursville (10-6).

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