For The Tribune

The Seymour boys tennis team was swept in a Hoosier Hills Conference match Tuesday against Jeffersonville.

The Red Devils — ranked fourth in the state — were too much for the Owls to handle as players worked through matches in the 5-0 loss.

Owls coach Brad Emerson said it is difficult to go up against such a strong opponent and have expectations for positive result, and that despite dropping all the matches his team was still competitive.

“I thought our doubles teams did pretty well,” he said. “And I thought Alex (Berry), at No. 1 singles played a pretty good match against his opponent. He got a couple of games there.”

Emerson said Berry’s younger brother, Adam, also gave his opponent a good run.

“He gave him some fits,” he said. He added that competitive play just wasn’t enough for the evening. “Technically they just outmatched us. We just don’t have the technical finesse and things like that to compete at that level. But as far as I’m concerned, we battled them really hard and made them work for points, and that’s kind of what you look for.”

Alex Berry, No. 1 singles, dropped his match 6-1, 6-1 against Jeffersonville’s Brock Winchell.

At No. 2 singles Ty McCory fell to the Red Devils’ Koop Faulkenstein 6-0, 6-0.

The Owls’ Adam Berry battled Bradley Cross in a long-rallied match but lost 6-0, 6-1.

For doubles, Emer- son said the team was competitive but couldn’t stop the Red Devils.

Grant Handloser and Josiah Rudge dropped their match 6-0, 6-1 to the Red Devils’ Jack Reilly and Sam Coward in No. 1 doubles action.

The Owls No. 2 doubles team of John Newton and Sam Voss battled Keith Asplund and Blake Winchell at No. 2 doubles but lost 6-2, 6-2.

“We played some really good points there (in doubles), but sometimes we play out of position,” Emerson said.

Emerson said the doubles teams also tried different formations in an attempt to confuse the Red Devils.

“It worked. The problem was we weren’t able to combine enough points to win,” he said.

The Owls saw a team with a lot of depth in the Red Devils, from No. 1 singles to No. 2 doubles.

“In tennis, depth kills,” Emerson said. “So if you can kind of try to get your kids to keep the ball deep — especially in singles — that neutralizes what the other player can do. It limits them.

“If you can frustrate the player a little bit — get it in their head that you’re going to keep the ball deep — sometimes they get a little frustrated and at this age of kids and level, you never know what can happen.”

The Owls will travel to Bedford North Lawrence on Thursday evening and will face off against sectional opponent Brownstown Central on Friday.