GIRLS' TENNIS: Vikings upend Warriors, 8-1

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 7, 2016 1:48 PM

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Elizabeth Sutton crouched outside the fence and watched teammate Bella Bowen at the No. 4 singles flight. She cheered for her teammate no matter the outcome of the point, but longed to be on the court instead.

And Sutton's absence was clearly notable.

A revamped Eastern Wayne starting six turned in a gritty and competitive effort much to the delight of head coach Craig Hassell. Although the outcome was an 8-1 loss to Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference leader D.H. Conley, he praised his team's performance.

"I was proud," Hassell said. "That's all I ask of them is to compete hard. We were right there in the thick of things. Give Conley some credit. Their top four are consistent. They've got some talent, some depth. I think we can compete with anybody in this conference if we play up to our ability."

Sutton missed her second straight match with a right shoulder injury. The senior hasn't undergone an MRI to determine the exact cause of her discomfort. She had a doctor's appointment late Tuesday evening.

Hassell doesn't know her status.

The Vikings (3-0 overall, 3-0 ECC) sealed the overall victory in singles.

Freshman Madison Cullipher posted a straight-set win at the No. 1 flight. Teammates Lauren Atkins, Shelby Hickey, Rebecca Reed and Jodie Lee each defeated their respective opponent.

Reed needed nearly 2 hours to defeat Bowen 6-4, 6-3.

"I called that definition of playing against yourself," DHC head coach Dave Cary said. "They both play the exact kind of match. They return, they return, they return (the ball). Both girls showed great hustle going after the ball. They made some great shots to keep the point going.

"That was a battle of wills."

Samantha Roux secured the Warriors' lone singles point. The Vikings' Brooke Sullivan retired with an ankle injury down 6-5 in the first set.

Conley swept the doubles.

"(Our) girls need to keep working hard, we need a good practice tomorrow, hopefully rebound from this," Hassell said. "We need a win for a little bit of confidence. We've got some potential. Everybody you see out here can beat anybody on any given day."