Published: May 16, 2008 12:29 am         

Lady Berries trounce Carroll

Win sets up sectional showdown against MIC champion Lewis Cass.

Logansport quickly decided its sectional match against Carroll Thursday evening before the rains came and wiped out the No. 3 singles match.

With the 4-0 win the Lady Berries (13-3) advanced to tonight’s semifinal against Lewis Cass. Delphi faces Twin Lakes in tonight’s other semifinal.

Logan coach Matt Tuggle saw an improved performance from his squad compared to its 4-1 win over Carroll that took place about two weeks ago.

“We had to play better to win the way we did,” Tuggle said, “and we stepped up when we needed to.”

The Lady Cougars finish their season with a 5-8 record.

“It was a tough match like we thought it would be,” Carroll coach Jerry Reinke said. “I knew our (No. 3) singles match would be really competitive. I was hoping the others would be as well, but Logansport’s just a very good team.”

Logan won both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches in straight sets, with Megan Whitcomb defeating Aurora Shands at No. 1 singles and Lauren Zehner knocking off Kristen Arnett at No. 2 singles.

At No. 1 doubles, Lindsay Rich and Ryane James defeated Morgan Yoder and Kaitlyn Brewster 6-2, 6-0 and at No. 2 doubles, Rachel Geer and Megan Rozzi topped Angel Jackson and Jessica Yoder 6-1, 6-0.

“I was encouraged early on,” Reinke said. “I looked at both of our doubles matches and we up 1-0 the first game, and (No. 2) doubles didn’t win another game the rest of that set. So I went from encouraged to discouraged fairly quickly because after those first games the rest of the match went pretty quick.

“I knew we’d struggle at one and two singles, too, but it was just a tough match. We knew it would be.”

The match at No. 3 singles was by far the most closely contested contest. Logan’s Maggie Brown took the first set before Carroll’s Kaylee Morehouse came back to win the second set. Brown led 5-2 in the third set before rain caused play to stop.

“I was very proud of my No. 3 singles player,” Reinke said of Morehouse. “She’s played great all season and it seems like whether she’s at (No. 3) or I put her at (No. 2) a couple times, she’s played great. She’s won at No. 2 and she’s won at No. 3.

“She was playing her heart out ‘til the very end.”

A strength of Logansport’s all season long has been depth. Tuggle thinks he’s found his best lineup for the tournament.

“You want to make sure you’re prepared for every step of the way and we think we’re as prepared as we can be,” he said. “We felt like this is what we had to go with to give us the best chance to go the farthest.”

Logansport, the two-time defending sectional champions, face the Mid-Indiana Conference champion Lady Kings tonight. Cass enters with a 9-3 record.

“We know that they’re formidable,” Tuggle said of the Lady Kings, “and we know we have some places where we’re going to have to play pretty well to get through them.”