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Jasper tops Brebeuf Jesuit 4-1 for first crown in girls tennis
INDIANAPOLIS - If ever a state championship meant more than simply a shiny trophy to take back to the school’s showcase, the title the Jasper Wildcats claimed with a 4-1 win over Brebeuf Jesuit at North Central High School would be it.
Coach Scott Yarbrough’s squad took down the previously-unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Braves to claim the school’s first title after three runner-up finishes (1992, 2002 and 2003) and several other state finals appearances.
It also keeps the promise Yarbrough made to his late father several years ago.
“For 55 years, my dad (Ed) and I have run this program,” Yarbrough said, choking back tears. “He won the boys title in 1999 and on his death bed in 2010, we made him a lot of promises.
“I told him we’d get a girls championship to go with that one and today is the day.”
As is usual with a goal that has proved elusive over the years, this trophy didn’t come easy – not even close.
Jasper didn’t have much trouble in Friday’s quarterfinal win (5-0 over Center Grove), but championship day started with an epic semifinal triumph over Westfield. The Wildcats (23-1) beat the Shamrocks, 4-1, but three of the victories came in three sets.
Third singles Lila Hawkes took a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win, while the doubles duos of Reese Mundy and Adaysha Smiley (at No. 1) and Kiersten Sternberg and Kate Yarbrough (No. 2) each lost their first sets before rallying. In fact, Sternberg and Yarbrough needed a tie-breaker in their second set to even the match.
“We felt confident Friday,” coach Yarbrough said, “but we knew Westfield would be tough and it was simply a knock-down, drag-out fight. After that, I didn’t know what would be left in the tank for Brebeuf.”
As it turned out, plenty was left. Jasper came out in the title match and won the first set at all five spots.
Sternberg and Yarbrough came off the court first, beating Chloe Cannon and Leah Klapper, 6-3, 6-3. Both sets were tied, 3-3, before the Jasper duo rolled to the victory giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
One singles Harper Wigand delivered the second point with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Chloe Wendowski before it took Mundy and Smiley to clinch the championship with a 7-6 (1), 6-2 triumph over sisters Caroline and Natalie Held.
When Smiley slammed home the match point at the net, all the years of waiting erupted amongst the Jasper team, coaches and fans.
“We felt we matched up with Brebeuf well,” coach Yarbrough said. “We felt (Wigand) was in good shape and our doubles were better than theirs. But, sometimes you’re not always right.
“Today, we were right.”
And state champions.
Two singles Marian Hayes gave Jasper its final point with a 7-6 (9), 2-6, 10-8 win over Kitty Noga before third singles Maureen Tancredi claimed the Brebeuf point with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 triumph over Hawkes.
The loss proved bitter for the Braves, who not only came in at 24-0 and top-ranked, but also on the heels of wins over traditional-power Carmel (3-2) in the regional final and defending state-champ South Bend Saint Joseph (5-0) in the semistate. Brebeuf also had rough match in its semifinal, before pulling out a 3-2 win over Munster with Cannon and Klapper providing the deciding point.
“It’s always tough, but I’m going to look at the positive,” Brebeuf coach Brent Claymon said. “I congratulate Jasper. The better team won, but we had a great run and I believe we’ll pick up and be competitive again next year.”
Claire Hun of Munster High School was selected as the recipient of the Girls Tennis Mental Attitude Award following the championship match.
The award is given to a senior participant who has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during their four years of high school.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA's longtime corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Munster High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Claire Hun.
