Wabash High School

Varsity Tennis Loses in Sectional Semi-Finals Wabash Tennis finished the season with an 0-5 loss in IHSAA Sectional Semi-Finals to Peru 0-5. The Apaches finish the season 13-8 and 5-1 in the conference. Coach Mattern shared: "Obviously, losing was not the outcome that we wanted going into the match. I however, am extremely proud of the level of tennis played at each position. We played our best tennis in our last match of the year, that is all any coach can ask for from their players." Troy Guenin-Hodson played at 3 singles for the Apaches, losing to Jackson Rogers in straight sets. Guenin-Hodson, who has been a solid point for Wabash in each match he played, ran into a buzz saw. Rogers using power and placement moved Guenin-Hodson all over the court to take the match 6-1, 6-1. "Troy played well and never quit on any points, the hustle and effort is the recipe that lead Troy to many wins this season. Today it just wasn't enough." Coach Mattern Grant Ford, facing off against Ian Potts, played an inspired first set, losing to Potts 4-6. Potts then turned up the heat to take the second set 0-6. "Ian is a very solid player and has been his entire career, playing all those years at 1 singles. Grant pushed him and played with him point for point in the first set, having his serve broken that one crucial time that lead to the 4-6 score. Coach Ford and I were excited to see that level of play from Grant. Holding on against Ian is a tall order, particularly how well Ian served and volleyed the 2nd set. Grant put it all out there. for us and came up short. We are proud of him for sure." Coach Mattern Next off the court from a match filled with exciting shots and extreme angles was the 1 doubles duo of Alex Dinkins and Cooper Long. In the first meeting, this match up went 3 sets. No doubt both teams were looking forward to this second match, with sectionals this adds another level of intensity. Both teams came out serving well, putting the pressure on the other side of the net to stay in points. Coach Mattern shared: "There were many great points played throughout this match. Alex and Cooper have played very well this year, getting better as the season progressed. We will loose Alex to graduation but are excited to see how Cooper continues to grow as a player. We are very proud of both young men." 2 doubles played a competitive match as well. Ultimately losing in 2 sets with a score of 3-6, 4-6. This was a match of runs, each duo pulling off a multiple games in a row. Each team working to find a consistent point of attack throughout the match and likewise countering attacking to gain the advantage for a short stretch of games.. For Wabash, Ashton Coffman and TJ Fritter played very well. Last off the courts from what was a very competitive 2 singles match was Eli Mattern. Both players were hitting hard, there were many multi-shot rallies highlighted by the competitors chasing down every shot and keeping the ball in play for as long as possible. Mattern eventually lost in 2 sets with scores of 2-6, 2-6. Walsh, a senior from Peru, was able to use his experience to take the match of the sophomore Mattern. "Eli played some of the best tennis of his career against Walsh. Being the competitor he is, he realizes that Peru is one of the best, if not the best, overall team we see in a season. You have to come to play if you want any chance of winning. Today he played very well, hit hard and looked to find areas of attack. He came up short in the end, but got better today and this type of play will serve him well moving forward." Coach Mattern "Coach Ford and I are extremely pleased with our season on the whole. The level of tennis we played this year was solid, we learned to hit hard with placement that helped us win a lot of matches. The team chemistry this year was top notch. The support all of our players showed each other through the good and tough times helped keep everyone in the right mindset to continue our program improvement. We will miss our seniors and we thank them for their efforts to contribute to the WHS Tennis program. All 6 of them played hard this year, improved and were an integral part of our tennis family. I look forward to following them on their individual journeys as they leave WHS in the spring. I have no doubt they will find success and impact this world in a positive way." Coach Mattern