Superstars were not needed by the Franklin girls tennis team.
Just a solid team performance.
Franklin’s depth and consistent play gave them enough of a cushion to get past Plainfield and take a second straight Mid-State Conference championship Wednesday at Whiteland.
Franklin scored 46 points to Plainfield’s 38.
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Helping the Grizzly Cubs’ cause was rival Greenwood, as freshman Sophia Davidson topped Plainfield’s Jordyn Pax, 7-5, 6-4 in a battle of unbeatens at No. 1 singles.
Franklin was a part of three titles, as the No. 2 doubles team of Allison Bennet and Rachel Pinnick won, as did Emma Genter at No. 3 singles.
Rain washed out the No. 2 singles title match, so Franklin’s Haylie Rayl and Whiteland’s Sarah Scott shared first place.
“Plainfield, Whiteland, Greenwood, they were all pretty good, so we were happy,” Franklin coach Rusty Hughes said. “We were fortunate that we played well for all three days of the tournament.
Indeed, as in addition to the Cubs’ three first-place finishes, Franklin players also took a second (No. 1 doubles) and third place (No. 1 singles).
Plainfield did win the No. 1 doubles final to break up the Johnson County title monopoly.
“We don’t have any All-Americans on our team, but we have some pretty good players,” Hughes said.
Two more pretty good players were fighting for that No. 1 honor in Davidson and Pax.
Davidson started out slow, but for good reason. The freshman had been sick for quite some time, fighting a cold and the flu, according to Greenwood head coach Jeremy Runge.
“She’s hasn’t been herself since probably the second or third week of the season,” said Runge. “Healthwise, it’s not been one of those seasons she has enjoyed.”
Runge said that Pax was the first real test for Davidson this season.
Davidson trailed early, but was able to fight back after a few errors from the Quaker player. Both battled throughout and the contest even had a bit of chatter after scores, most of it coming from Pax.
Davidson wasn’t quite as noisy, but she wasn’t silent, either.
“Just trying to work hard and push myself,” said Davidson, who was visibly worn out but happy after the match. "This was the first time I have played in a long time and it was hard for me, so I was actually pretty nervous.
“I am feeling a little lightheaded right now.”
