Familiar opponent, familiar result.
No. 25 Whiteland came into Tuesday’s opening round of the Center Grove Sectional ready to face a Greenwood team it had defeated by a 5-0 count just two weeks ago. The rematch was no different, with the Warriors taking all five points yet again to advance into today’s semifinal.
The Warriors’ reward is a matchup with the host Trojans this afternoon. The seventh-ranked Trojans posted a 3-2 win at Whiteland on Sept. 6.
Against the Woodmen, Whiteland (19-4) took all five matches in straight sets — a feat that coach Mike Gillespie considered impressive considering the fact that Greenwood was able to put together a more complete lineup this time out.
“I knew that they would be better tonight than they were a couple of weeks ago, and that was true,” Gillespie said of the Woodmen. “They were up to the task; they played pretty well. So I thought our guys raised the bar and played real well.”
Spencer Gillespie was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Greenwood’s Noah Paswater at No. 1 singles. Ty McCullars rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Carter Chatham at second singles and Carson Baumann defeated Ian Ratliff in the third spot 6-2, 6-0.
In doubles play, Kai Koester and Chase Koester took a pair of 6-1 sets against Blake Reynolds and Aidyn Green in the first position while the No. 2 duo of Isaac Phegley and Gavin Stubbe was a 6-3, 6-3 victor against Devin Weidner and William Davidson.
Having secured a first-round win, the Warriors can turn their attention to another rematch with a county rival today — one that they hope will not completely mirror the first meeting.
“It’s a different day, a different match,” Gillespie said. “They’ve got some kids playing that didn’t play last time, so it’s obviously going to make a difference. But their lineup’s also shifted quite a bit in a couple of different spots, so we’re excited. A lot of my kids, they play against those kids in the summertime, so they know what to expect. They’ve got some confidence, but at the same time, they know that Center Grove is very good.”
