Columbus North’s Aya Saad prepares to hit a shot in a No. 1 singles tennis match against Columbus East at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Monday, April 14, 2025.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
With two of their regular doubles players at a conference and another having to be pulled after warmups Monday, Columbus North had three first-time varsity players in the lineup when it hosted Columbus East.
The replacements didn’t miss a beat.
Newcomers Molly Richards and Priyanka Nair beat Saya Hauser and Abbey Morales 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles, and last-minute replacement Grace Merritt teamed with veteran Lizzie Bodart to top Luci Morales and Stephani Christopher 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles in the Bull Dogs’ 5-0 victory.
“A couple of girls had chances to play varsity for the first time, and it was OK for them to be able to come out here and get their feet wet in a varsity situation,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “They did a nice job and took care of business. We talked about not going out there and playing down and getting sloppy.”
The Bull Dogs (3-0) also got 6-0, 6-0 wins from Aya Saad against Lauren Degner at No. 1 singles, Lucy Bergman against Lilli Smith at No. 2 singles and Ayane Umemura against Zoe White at No. 3 singles. Saad, who played No. 2 singles the past two years, is replacing two-time state singles champion Kathryn Wilson in the top spot.
“I like playing 1 singles,” Saad said. “I miss Kathryn, but I like taking charge of the team and being captain. I think we played fine. Conditions are kind of rough because it’s kind of windy. There’s always room for improvement, but I’m glad I got the job done.”
Degner, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, won several points Monday and was in plenty of others.
“We’re keeping an open mind with Lauren,” Ulrich said. “She’s had a year off from knee issues, and she’s getting back into the swing of things. I know she’s put in some work in the offseason. It’s different when you’re actually playing matches, so she’s coming around. Her power is starting to come back, and her thought process is coming back, so I think we’re going to be making a turn here pretty soon with Lauren.”
Like North, the Olympians (0-3) also were missing a couple of regular players.
“We had a little bit different lineup tonight,” Ulrich said. “We had girls that were absent, and some girls stepped up and played some different spots tonight that they’re not used to playing, and they were in some points that I think kind of surprised them. But our biggest thing is, our girls just need more experience. They just need more time on the court, so I think they’re going to learn a lot and keep improving over the next couple of weeks.”
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