BROWNSTOWN
In tennis, it’s all about how you finish on the scorecards.
Brownstown Central fought through the windy conditions to claim its first win of the season, 3-2, against visiting Salem on Thursday.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Trailing 2-1 in team scoring, the Braves No. 2 doubles team of Jordan Trowbridge and Bridget Hall, and No. 3 singles’ Miranda McCluskey pulled through in tight matches to secure the victory.
While most other matches were in their second sets, Trowbridge and Hall were still battling in the first.
The tandem was able to win the first set 9-7 in a tiebreak before picking up the pace in the second set for a 6-4 finish against the Lions’ Alex Campbell and Asia Burns.
“They missed a lot of easy shots and had to get a lot of shots athletically,” Braves coach Erik Stangland said. “They earned it by running all over the court. They never gave up, and that’s big. All the other matches were in their second sets while they were in their first. It was nice to see them finish off the second set so quick.”
McCluskey, a freshman, started off slow against the Lions’ Taylor Alexander, dropping her first set 6-4 before taking the second 6-0.
In the third, McCluskey built a 3-2 lead en route to a 6-3 conclusion.
“Miranda struggled with where she was on the court early, but she stayed consistent with her shots in the second and third sets,” Stangland said. “She moved (Alexander) around with deep shots, which created trouble.”
At No. 1 singles, Brownstown sophomore Laken Reynolds downed Whitney Journell 6-1, 6-3.
Stangland said that Reynolds regained her focus in the second after trailing 3-2.
“(Reynolds) figured it out in the second set and took care of it,” he said. “We expect to see her grow a lot over the season.”
The Lions took wins at No. 2 singles, with Haley Gross defeating Claudia Sibrel 6-1, 6-2 and No. 1 doubles, as Madison Aly and Lauren Allen defeated Jenny Runge and Maddy Jones (B) 6-2, 6-1.
With a young team, featuring three upperclassmen, Stangland said the first win was big for the Braves (1-1).
“Everything is still very new for a few of our girls,” Stangland said. “This is a nice win going into one of the toughest matches of the season Monday against Silver Creek.”