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Knights knock out Terre Haute North to complete Vigo County sweep
With it being the final match of the high school boys tennis regular season, Terre Haute North made the executive decision to shake up its lineup. The Patriots filled it up with seniors who were playing on the north side of Terre Haute for the last time.
Did that have anything to do with Northview coming in and spoiling the festivities with a 3-2 win? Maybe. But the Knights played – and beat – who was in front of them on Thursday night, and in doing so, completed the Vigo County sweep for the second time in three years while also taking down a ranked opponent – Terre Haute North entered the night ranked No. 28 in the most recent Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll – for the first time in program history, a pair of accomplishments Northview head coach Emily Goff wanted her team to be proud of.
“It’s awesome for us to sweep them. All three are talented teams,” said Goff. “I know this lineup isn’t the same we’re going to see next week during sectionals, but a win is a win, especially against a ranked team. This is the first time in my 20 years coaching that I have beaten a ranked team, no matter who was playing. I’m just really proud of the boys. This was a really big match to pull off right before the start of sectionals.”
Northview had a good showing at all five slots in its lineup on Thursday, Goff pointed out. But it was Derek Morrison at No. 2 singles, Gavin Roark at No. 3 singles and the No. 2 doubles tandem of Christian Bryan and Raj Singh that picked up the three points that clinched the victory.
Morrison breezed through his match, beating Cam Bacon in straight sets by scores of 6-0, 6-2.
“Derek had an awesome match. He really played well,” said Goff of Morrison.
Roark, playing on the court next to Morrison, also won in straight sets, although the senior had to grind through it to defeat James Lanter by scores of 7-5, 7-6 (7-1). Goff praised Roark for the winning mentality he’s added to his game this fall, and it came out again on Thursday when he staved off Lanter’s best efforts to force a third set tiebreaker to determine which team would leave victorious.
“Gavin came through for us again,” said Goff of Roark. “His competitive edge has come out more than I’ve ever seen this year.”
Bryan and Singh won their first set against Oliver Smith and Jacob Norton but saw the Patriot pairing take the second set as well as the first point of the third, placing the Northview duo in a do-or-die scenario. They proceeded to rattle off the next four points to take a commanding 4-1 lead and eventually finished it off by capturing the tiebreaking set by a score of 6-2 to earn their fourth win in less than one week.
“They played well tonight. I was really proud of them for pulling that one out,” said Goff.
With the 3-2 victory over Terre Haute, Northview improved its season record to 12-3, surpassing last year’s win total with the postseason still to go. Goff credited her team, most of whom play multiple sports, for dedicating the necessary time on the tennis court to win a dozen matches this fall.
“When we started out, we were just hoping to have a winning record, but these boys have been great this year,” Goff said. “Our motto has been ‘never give up.’ They have never given up in any of the matches we’ve played, and I’m proud of them for that.”
Next up? Northview opens sectional play at Terre Haute South next week against an opponent that’s to be determined. The Knights have beaten all three – Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South and West Vigo – of the possibilities by identical 3-2 scores, giving them confidence that they can be the ones to make some postseason noise.
“It’s going to be hard. We knew after we got moved into this sectional last year that it was going to be tough, but we can do it. We know we can do it,” said Goff. “Anything can happen during tournament time. We’ll be ready. We’re going to be ready to give whoever it is a match.”
Northview 3, Terre Haute North 2
Singles – James Belmar (THN) def. Brayden Goff (Nv) 6-1, 6-2; Derek Morrison (Nv) def. Cam Bacon (THN) 6-0, 6-2; Gavin Roark (Nv) def. James Lanter (THN) 7-5, 7-6 (7-1)
Doubles – Christian Folz-Garrett Hawthorne (THN) def. Zac Buell-Lincoln Pierce (Nv) 6-4, 6-2; Christian Bryan-Raj Singh (Nv) def. Oliver Smith-Jacob Norton (THN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2