DREW BAKER
BY TRAVIS DAVID
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The Sullivan boys tennis team picked up a pair of wins earlier in the week by taking down visiting White River Valley on Wednesday before earning a conference win at Northview on Thursday.
The Arrows overpowered WRV 5-0 on Wednesday before improving to 4-0 in Western Indiana Conference play with a 4-1 win at Northview on the following night.
Against the Wolverines, Sullivan dropped just eight games over 10 sets in the five positions.
Houston Ferree and Drew Baker did not lose a game in a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
At the No. 3 singles spot, sophomore Levi Chickadaunce dropped just one game with a 6-1, 6-0 win.
Jayden Scott and Hunter Pinkston earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at the top tandem spot for the Arrows, while Jaxon Zollman and Zane Abbott won by identical 6-2 scores at the No. 2 doubles court.
The win for Abbott was his first as a member of the varsity team.
“I am excited that Zane was able to get a varsity win,” Arrows’ coach Wes Kirk said. “He is a good athlete with excellent groundstrokes and it is going to be exciting to watch his development over the next few years for us.”
Wyatt Epling picked up a win for the Arrows in the only junior varsity matchup of the match.
Against the Knights, the top two singles spots once again had very little trouble for Sullivan.
Ferree improved to 12-1 on the season with a 6-1, 6-0 win while Drew Baker did not drop a game for the second straight match.
At the No. 3 position, Chickadance needed a third-set tiebreaker to come away with the win, 6-2, 5-7, (10-5).
“Houston has really hit his stride in the last week or so,” Kirk said of his top player. “He is hitting the ball with a lot of confidence and I like his shot selections during his matches.
“Drew and Levi have also picked up a lot of momentum in the last few matches.”
Sam Couch and Spencer Hanks returned to the Arrows’ lineup for a win on the No. 2 doubles court. The regular tandem picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win.
“They had the match of the day for us,” the Arrows’ coach said of the duo. “They were locked in the whole match and never gave their opponents a chance for confidence.”
Scott and Pinkston suffered the only setback of the match, dropping a 6-3, 6-4 decision.
“They had their chances but just couldn’t break through,” Kirk said. “But hopefully they learned some things during this match that will help them in the next one.”
Andrew Jackson won the only junior varsity match for the Arrows in six matchups.
Sullivan hosted Indian Creek on Saturday for another conference matchup.
Sullivan 5, White River Valley 0
Singles:
1) Houston Ferree (S) def. Alex Cook 6-0, 6-0
2) Drew Baker (S) def. Jamison Shake 6-0, 6-0
3) Levi Chickadaunce (S) def. Grayden Parnell 6-1, 6-0
Doubles:
1) Jayden Scott/Hunter Pinkston (S) def. Matthew Sams/Travis Carmichael 6-1, 6-2
2) Jaxon Zollman/Zane Abbott (S) def. AJ Moreno/Alex Ball 6-2, 6-2
Sullivan 4, Northview 1
Singles:
1) Houston Ferree (S) def. Brayden Goff 6-1, 6-0
2) Drew Baker (S) def. Gavin Roark 6-0, 6-0
3) Levi Chickadaunce (S) def. Derek Morrison 6-2, 5-7, (10-5)
Doubles:
1) Caden Schrader/Joshua Fowler (NV) def. Jayden Scott/Hunter Pinkston 6-3, 6-4
2) Sam Couch/Spencer Hanks (S) def. Kamden Kellett/Zac Buell 6-2, 6-2
