Plymouth tennis edged by Valpo

PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth Girls Tennis Team hosted District-Ranked Valparaiso Tuesday at the Mary Beth Hunter Tennis Complex in Plymouth, with the Vikings winning a tight team match 3-2.
The match, originally scheduled for Monday night, was delayed a day by Monday’s rainstorm, and then delayed on Tuesday while some lightning passed through the area.
The visiting Vikings took the first two completed matches, winning at 3S and 2D. Pilgrim sophomore Allison Grobe sustained some longer rallies, but fell in straight sets at 3S, while the Plymouth all-freshman 2D duo of Hanley Feldman and Elly Kruyer fell in straight sets as well.
That left the final three matches (1S, 2S, 1D) all on court, playing in decisive third sets at the same time. The Pilgrims would need to win all three matches to take the win.
The Pilgrim 1D duo of Marisa Langfeldt and Lydia came out strong in their third set, using great footwork and playing very aggressive tennis to take 3-0 and 5-2 leads before a strong final service game sealed the win 6-4 and the Pilgrims’ point.
Plymouth 1S player Sophia Cantero battled back from a 4-0 deficit in the final set to get her match to 5-3, before falling in a long, tight match 6-3 in the final set. That match outcome would seal the win for the Vikings.
Shortly after, Plymouth 2S player Mia Hartley fell in a long and hard-fought match as well, with her final set being 6-3 as well.
The Pilgrims will look to rebound on Wednesday as they travel to Elkhart for a 5:30 PM start time.
“We certainly had a disadvantage tonight after falling in the first two completed matches and having to win the final three matches on court, but we did have our chances in the end,” said Plymouth coach Brad Haeck. “We continue to have some learning experiences for our younger girls, and they will have some better days ahead.”
“The top of our lineup is pretty strong and experienced, but we just came up a little short against a strong Valpo team tonight. All three of those final matches could have gone either way. It’s just so hard to replicate those pressure situations in practice or challenge matches, but we will learn from those experiences and get better.”
“Marisa and Lydia played a nice match at 1D, and are continuing to play more aggressively as they gain more experience as a doubles team,” said Haeck. “They did some great things throughout their match, and stepped up big time at the start and end of their third set. I’m confident that both Sophia and Mia will still have great seasons leading us at the top of the singles lineup this year.”
Next Match: Plymouth Varsity/JV will travel to Elkhart for a non-conference match on Wednesday, 4/15/26, 5:30 PM start.