Freshman Ashlee Fisk has won 20 of her 22 matches at No. 3 singles for third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan.
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Ashlee Fisk’s adjustment from high school to college tennis has been, shall we say, educational.
On the verge of competing for third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan at the NAIA national championships in Mobile, Alabama, the freshman understands she’s about to learn even more.
“This spring, my eyes have been opened to where you do what you need to do to help your team win,” said Fisk, who finished with a 19-4 record last spring as Center Grove’s No. 1 singles player. “I don’t have the pressure on me as a No. 1 or No. 2, but I’m still depended on to get a point for our team.”
Fisk isn’t the only former Johnson County player who’ll be spotted in Alabama’s southern reaches.
Junior Trey Thixton (Center Grove) and freshman Ethan Gray (Greenwood) are part of the second-ranked IWU men’s squad. Both teams are coached by Eddy Shigley.
The men open play Wednesday morning against either Oakland City or Northwestern Ohio. The IWU women face Indiana Tech or St. Thomas (Florida) that afternoon.
Fisk will be making needed contributions on the court.
“This whole spring I’ve been playing No. 3 singles,” said Fisk, the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year in 2021. “Regarding doubles, I go in and out of the lineup with No. 3 doubles, but I also substitute where needed.”
This season, she’s 20-2 at third singles but has also played in the 1, 2, 4 and 6 slots.
Thixton and Gray — also both former county players of the year — haven’t experienced as much court time for the men, as evidenced by respective singles marks of 6-2 and 6-0. Thixton represented IWU in three matches at No. 5 singles, with Gray going 3-0 at No. 6.
However, they’re being counted on to contribute on the biggest of stages, at least audibly. Thixton and Gray plan to be emotionally invested, cheering for and encouraging teammates.
“I haven’t played that much, honestly,” Thixton said. “It’s fun to play, but it’s also been fun to watch the team have success. It’s been a transition, for sure, but it’s a role I’ve come to appreciate.
“I think I didn’t realize how much impact you can have off the court.”
The Wildcat men have been second in the final NAIA poll four consecutive years. IWU takes a 39-4 record to the southern reaches of Alabama, while the women’s squad is 38-5.
Both are chasing that elusive first national title.
A year ago, Shigley’s women’s team advanced all the way to the national quarterfinals before losing to Georgia Gwinnett College, 4-0. His men’s squad made it to the quarterfinals as well before dropping a 4-2 decision to Lindsey Wilson College.
Indiana Wesleyan’s school year was completed two weeks ago, but Fisk has remained on campus in order to remain tennis sharp for nationals.
“Going to Alabama as a team and spending a week and a half down there is pretty exciting,” she said. “We get to go down there and make memories on and off the court.”
