PLAINFIELD
Having already proven itself in team competition, Whiteland boys tennis spent two days further emphasizing why it’s the class of the Mid-State Conference.
The Warriors were qualified for four of the five championship matches on Tuesday at Plainfield High School, getting individual singles titles from Dylan Gross at No. 1, Ty McCullars in the second spot and freshman Spencer Gillespie at No. 3.
Coach Mike Gillespie’s squad picked up its second consecutive league title and sixth overall, though the tournament format was different than in years past.
Gone was the points system of old, replaced by head-to-head competition between teams in the regular season. At 7-0, Whiteland edged Plainfield, which ended up 6-1 in the final standings.
Tuesday’s proceedings only added an exclamation point to what was already common knowledge.
“Early in the season, we were fairly inexperienced,” coach Gillespie said. “I thought we were skilled but fairly inexperienced, especially at doubles because all four of our doubles players from last year graduated. And, obviously, (three-time all-state singles player Quinten Gillespie) graduated, so we lost quite a bit.
“As the season’s gone on, everyone has gotten better. I’m really, really proud of how our team has improved.”
Gross didn’t start his match against Plainfield’s Marcus Cox the way he would’ve preferred, falling behind 4-0 in the opening set before rallying to post a 7-5, 6-3 decision. The count was 4-4 in the first when there was an hour delay due to lightning in the area.
It didn’t affect the momentum Gross had been building to that point.
“(Cox) had all the momentum, and I just had to switch up how I’m playing,” Gross said. “I knew the whole time I would be able to come back if I just stayed in it. I knew I was in very good shape, and if I made the match last longer than it was supposed to, I knew I would come back.
“I wasn’t surprised he led early, because honestly, I watched him play yesterday and he played amazing against Isaac Lian from Perry Meridian. I could tell he was on his game this tournament.”
McCullars downed Greenwood’s Noah Paswater, 6-0, 6-1, to earn the No. 2 singles championship; Spencer Gillespie made it a Warrior sweep in singles play with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 defeat of Plainfield’s Andrew Hummel.
“It was definitely about being consistent because he liked to smoke shots,” Spencer Gillespie said. “Sometimes he would get a winner on me, but a lot of the time he would hit it out.”
The final match of the night was at No. 2 doubles, where Whiteland’s Chase Koester and Ariss Mardanzai rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 triumph over the Plainfield duo of Logan Fellure and Caleb Webb.
Franklin’s top doubles tandem of Sam Auger and Zion Parkhurst advanced to the title match on Tuesday, but lost to the Plainfield duo of Cooper Martin and Keaton East, 6-1, 5-7, 10-3.
“They’ve had a great showing and a great season,” Grizzly Cubs coach Rusty Hughes said of Auger and Parkhurst. “It basically came down to one point. You just play as hard as you can.”
