EATON — Eaton’s girls tennis team continued to roll by opponents last week.
The Eagles cruised to three straight 5-0 wins last week, including over a pair of Southwestern Buckeye League divisional foes.
Eaton began the week with a win over Bellbrook on Tuesday, Aug. 27. On Wednesday, Eaton blanked Greenville then closed out the week by winning every game against Franklin.
In their second league match of the season the Eagles faced off with a very motivated Bellbrook team. Despite the team score it was a tightly contested match.
Eaton’s doubles teams really had their work cut for them on this day. They each had to truly battle in first sets and were very fortunate to have won them in a tiebreaker.
At second doubles, Anna Kramer and Haneet Kang were donating their fair share of points during the first set but they managed to play better and secure the second set a little easier, according to Eaton coach John Hitchcock.
Tess Murphy and Erika Wilkinson on the other hand had to fight and claw from start to finish. Their opponents were just not going away and it was back and forth the entire match.
“Our girls were down 5-6 in the first set but did an excellent job of staying in the moment and keeping with the game plan which got them the first set,” Hitchcock said. “The second set was just as intense and they were down 3-4 at one point. Once again, they responded very well and played to win instead of playing not to lose.”
The trio of singles players held their own as well.
“On the singles side we kept the train rolling as all three singles positions were able to win their respective courts,” Hitchcock said. “However, for the first time this season, Grace Murphy, at third singles, ran into a formidable opponent and got battle tested. She jumped out to a 3-0 lead but soon saw that lead turn to 3-3. After some grueling back and forth games she persevered capturing the first set. Then she was able to relax just enough to play her game and get the next set.”
Freshman Macy Hitchcock continued her strong start as she dropped just two games in her match and Sophia Murphy played a much better match at home than her season opener.
“This was a good win for us. Last season was the first time ever an Eaton team beat Bellbrook in tennis and we certainly wanted to keep that going but tip your hat to Bellbrook,” coach Hitchcock said. “They really pushed us which ultimately is good because we had to rise to the challenge. I’m proud that we were able to do so.”
John Hitchock knows his team will be pushed this season.
“Moving forward, we have to realize that every team is going to be extremely motivated to beat us. Because of the buzz and the hype on the outside, we are going to get everyone’s best efforts. So we have to bring our A game to each and every match,” he said.
Results:
1st singles — Macy Hitchcock defeated Nitika Arora 6-2, 6-0.
2nd singles — Sophia Murphy defeated Anika Arora 6-2, 6-3.
3rd singles — Grace Murphy defeated Maddie Chappars 6-4, 6-2.
1st doubles — Tess Murphy and Erika Wilkinson defeated Painter/Pandrangi 7-6(4), 7-5.
2nd doubles — Anna Kramer and Haneet Kang deafeatet Howard/Delsing 7-6(3), 6-3.
Eaton 5, Greenville 0
The Eagles traveled to Greenville on Wednesday and kept their winning streak going as they were able to get the elusive 5-0 sweep against a Greenville team that has historically had success over the Eagles.
“They have always been one of the more challenging teams to play in the past. Last season we got our first win over them in quite some time so we hoped to build on that,” coach Hitchcock said. “This was a good team effort today. Our singles had a real strong showing as they had to contend with the wind almost as much as the opponent. Macy, as a freshman, continues to impress and Sophia and Grace haven’t missed a beat from a season ago.”
The coach said his doubles team were pushed again.
“The doubles teams were challenged a bit initially but once they got through the first set, they were able to win the second set easily,” he said. “Tess and Erika are still learning the nuances of doubles and they were trailing the entire first set and finally turned it around at 3-4 and pulled off three straight games. Anna and Haneet had to get used to the wind more than anything and after several games they were able to get control of the match and not let go.”
Results:
1st singles — Macy Hitchcock defeated Emily Marchal 6-0, 6-0.
2nd singles — Sophia Murphy defeated Natalie Milligan 6-0, 6-0.
3rd singles — Grace Murphy defeated Abby Swensen 6-1, 6-1.
1st doubles — Tess Murphy and Erika Wilkinson defeated Lance/Mansfield 6-4, 6-1.
2nd doubles — Anna Kramer and Haneet Kang defeated Stephens/Choi 6-3, 6-0.
Eaton 5, Franklin 0
In their league match of the season, the Eagles were all business as they hosted Franklin on Thursday.
At this point in the season, Eaton just had a little more firepower.
“We commend Franklin on their efforts and attitudes. They knew what they were up against but still put up a good fight,” coach Hitchcock said. “With five sophomores and one freshman on varsity they definitely have a bright future. I hope they can make some noise in SWBL moving forward.”
Results:
1st singles — Macy Hitchcock defeated Reed 6-0, 6-0
2nd singles — Sophia Murphy defeated Dalton 6-0, 6-0
3rd singles — Grace Murphy defeated Lin 6-0, 6-0
1st doubles — Tess Murphy and Erika Wilkinson defeated Brinkman/Judy 6-0, 6-0.
2nd doubles — Anna Kramer and Haneet Kang defeated Johnson/Brown 6-0, 6-0.
With the wins, Eaton improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southwestern Buckeye League’s Southwestern Division.
Eaton was scheduled to play in the second round of the state team tournament at Cincinnati Seven Hills on Monday, Sept. 2.
They are schedule to host Alter on Wednesday and will travel to Valley View on Thursday. The Eagles will wrap up the week playing at the Centerville Doubles Tournament on Saturday.
