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CM girls tennis weathers lineup change, edges out Milton, 3-2

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

MILL HALL - While Addison Lindsay garners most of the attention when it comes to Central Mountain's singles core, the team's other two singles starters have quietly begun making names for themselves. Lucy Walker - the Wildcats' No. 2 singles player - recently claimed silver at District 6 singles. And her sister, Lane, has become one of the more reliable No. 3s in District 6 Class AA.

It's to the point where the sisterly pairing can lead the charge when Lindsay is absent, a reality they proved on Thursday.

With Lindsay missing Thursday's contest against Milton, each Walker moved up a slot and handled the uptick with grace, dropping a combined four games to grant the Wildcats two singles points. Tess Akeley and Kylee Markle finished the job with a hard-fought, straight-set victory at Doubles Court 1, as Central Mountain edged out its league foe, 3-2.

"It's tough. Missing our No. 1 just changes our whole lineup, top to bottom. But we pulled it out, they fought hard and I'm very proud of what they did," said Central Mountain girls tennis head coach Tom Zettle on the win.

Having manned the No. 1 slot in singles a few times through the last two seasons, Lucy Walker considers the uptick more fun than nerve-wracking at this point.

That showed in her play, as she wasted little time getting the Wildcats on the board. Whether it was her backhand or forehand, the sophomore had little issue racking up points against Milton's No. 1 in Madison Coup.

Her patient approach, coupled with the occasional hitter, forced her opponent to make mistakes and gave her a good idea of when to be aggressive. She'd win four games in a row to start as a result. And when Coup narrowed the gap to 4-1, Walker brushed it off, winning eight games in a row to complete the gentleman's sweep, 6-1, 6-0.

"Just being confident and trusting my swings," said Walker when discussing what helped her dominate Thursday's match. "My confidence (has improved) for sure and my commitment to actually winning and having fun with it. I work on a lot of technique with my sister too."

It was a similar story for Lane Walker at Singles Court 2, who weathered a back-and-forth start against Milton's No. 2 Elliot Brosious before controlling the rest.

After trading games into a 2-1 lead, Walker won four games in a row to match her sister's first set. She’d finish her second set with the same imposing ability as well, turning a 3-2 lead into a straight-set victory by winning three straight games.

Those wins were crucial in keeping Central Mountain's win streak alive, as Milton took the remaining singles point and pushed its mixed-up doubles squads. Zettle is impressed with how quickly each player has improved through a year-and-a-half of varsity play.

"Lucy has just been amazing this year. She has played some tough matches just coming from districts this week," said Zettle. "They're both gaining a lot of confidence, and those wins helped with the confidence today."

The win wouldn't have been clinched without a strong, come-from-behind effort on Central Mountain's doubles courts, however. After going down 5-2 to start, Akeley and Markle - who had minute experience playing with each other prior to Thursday - evened the score with three straight wins and ultimately forced a tiebreaker, a tiebreaker they dominated.

With strong front play from Akeley and back play from Markle, the pairing got out to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker and used that surge to take it. The only time they led through the set was the tiebreaker, with the duo crediting improved communication to turning the tide.

"When we have to switch up partners like this, it's definitely an adjustment. The first match, we were just kind of nervous and getting the jitters out," said Akeley. "We started communicating more (late in the set), and that really helped."

"We just thought, 'We really have to win this. Not just for us, but for our team.' And that kind of gave us the confidence to overcome," she added on their mindset entering the tiebreaker set.

Though the second set remained tight, featuring a back-and-forth from 1-0 to 5-4, Akeley and Markle won the set's tenth game to halt the prospect of another tiebreaker in its tracks. It wasn't until the duo left the court when they realized how crucial the win was, as Central Mountain's early 2-0 lead had turned into a 2-2 tie during their second set.

"We had no clue," said Akeley. "We did end up winning for our team, so that really gives us confidence that we can do it again. Even though we don't usually play together, when we can, we do well."

With the win, Central Mountain improved to 6-1 on the season and heads next Monday's matchup against Jersey Shore repping six straight wins. The Wildcats split the season series against the only team it's lost two so far - Danville - last week, so Zettle feels the team can compete for a Heartland-I title if it maintains this level of play.

"Not to get the cart out in front of the horses, but if both them (Danville) and us were to win out, it would be a tie for the PHAC title," said Zettle. "The fact that we went down to Class AA, I think we have a shot at district doubles and team."

Central Mountain 3, Milton 2

SINGLES

Lucy Walker (CM) def. Madison Coup (M) 6-1, 6-0. 2. Lane Walker (CM) def. Elliot Brosious (M) 6-1, 6-2. 3. Lilley Tillson (M) def. Kassie Williams (CM) 6-3, 6-4.

DOUBLES

Tess Akeley/Kylee Markle (CM) def. Bella Poynter/Makenna Wallace (M) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4. 2. Ava Seward/Ellie Bergey (M) def. Erin Packer/Erin Thompson (CM) 6-4, 6-3.

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