Delta girls tennis' 7th straight regional title perhaps its most unique yet

GREENTOWN, Ind. — Warm up in the sun, then stop for lightning, restart, play one set, pause for rain, drive home, and return the next day to continue indoors.

Delta girls tennis' school-record seventh straight IHSAA regional title was anything but conventional, yet the Eagles won anyway with a 5-0 sweep over No. 27 Alexandria. The match began Wednesday at Marion High School, where lightning delayed the start time, the girls finished about one set and rain eventually postponed the match.

The teams gathered indoors on Thursday at the Howard County Tennis Center in Greentown, where all but the previously-finished No. 1 singles bout were completed. Delta head coach Tim Cleland couldn't recall if any of his prior teams had endured such circumstances in a regional final.

The Eagles (18-4) led in every match before the stoppage, though, and were able to complete the convincing victory regardless. This marks the first time since 2017 that Delta has swept all of its sectional and regional opponents 5-0.

"I've coached for so long, 30 years, that it's probably happened at some point, but I really can't remember a (regional) match that was halfway through and then you had to sleep on it," Cleland said. "We played so well (Wednesday) to build that lead, we just came out on fire, and then the momentum — I was worried about because ... A lot of the restarts were from early in sets, like 1-1 or 1-0. So it was basically like starting fresh ... I was happy that we came out in a lot of sets today and reestablished (ourselves)."

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Not only did first-year varsity player and No. 2 singles sophomore Gabby Knight look unfazed, she played better on Day 2 and was the first to finish after winning 6-3, 6-1. Cleland said she looked "all business" en route to her 20th victory of the season, which he deemed a "big deal" because an Eagle in that position hasn't hit that win total in a few years.

The No. 1 doubles team (23-2) of senior Maggie Hunt and junior Janet Wegener was also sharp, winning 6-1, 6-3, but both players said the lack of wind made putting away their opponents more challenging.

Still, the pair headed Cleland's advice to not relax just because they dominated the opening set on Wednesday, and the two embraced the new environment and didn't let an initially close second set spiral out of control.

Being two of Delta's three returning varsity players, Hunt and Wegener share poise and chemistry on the court despite never playing together previously. Hunt played singles in her two prior seasons but decided to try something new.

"I wanted to play doubles, but I don't know if (Cleland) knew that," Hunt said. "I thought it would be fun for my senior year. Singles takes a lot out of you mentally and physically."

She said it's been fun and that she still needs to improve her net play, and Wegener is comfortable giving her occasional tips about doubles play. It's a big jump, but one that the group has made easily ever since a "rough" season-opening match against Carmel in difficult wind conditions.

"I don't have to teach her. She's very smart. She's a fast learner, but I can give her pointers ... She listens to me and we always work well together. Her many years of singles experience have given her the ability to execute many shots, and that's a great asset in doubles," Wegener said. "We have this special bond with each other."

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The No. 2 doubles team of senior Madelyn Haley and junior Iva Witter was the lone group to remain in its first set from Wednesday, but the pair grinded out a 6-3, 6-4 victory after battling from behind in the second set.

Finishing the evening was No. 3 singles freshman Brylee Beckley, who saw the most drastic change in a match between the two evenings. She won 6-0 on Wednesday, using the wind to her advantage, but Alexandria's Gabby Hosier appeared more comfortable indoors and tested Beckley's resolve.

Their points were long and hard-fought, volley after volley as Hosier softly returned almost all of Beckley's attempts at a winning strike. Hosier entered the finals with just one loss on the season and having beaten Beckley in straight sets five weeks prior, and Beckley was in danger of letting the back-and-forth second set get away from her.

Remarkably, Beckley demonstrated her growth over the season and "didn't look afraid of the moment," according to Cleland. She stuck to her plan and eventually wore out Hosier, winning the second set 7-5 to applause from her teammates and the second-floor crowd overlooking the facility.

"Brylee Beckley's (match) was even tougher to pull off maybe today, and she did a good job of finishing it out. Her girl makes every ball, and then when you remove weather conditions, she makes every ball plus-one" Cleland said. "Brylee had to be extraordinarily patient while still balancing being aggressive, and it's just great to see how much her game has progressed."

"She's had so much growth this season. It's incredible," No. 1 singles senior Gwendolyn Clark said. "From the beginning to end, she's just really improved a lot and been a really great singles player, so I'm really proud of her."

Clark was the lone non-competing varsity Eagles as she cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win before Wednesday's postponement. She didn't drop a single game in regional play and increased her win total to 19, up from 12 at No. 1 singles last season.

It was a unique experience for Clark to watch her teammates play for an extended period of time as her matches are not often the first to finish. She enjoyed it, especially seeing Beckley out-last her opponent.

Beckley's improvement was emblematic of what Clark believes makes a successful singles player: consistency, confidence and taking advantage of opportunities. In her own match, Clark noticed in warmups that her opponent's backhand was weaker, so she didn't force anything and used that to her advantage. The Alexandria player was visibly frustrated and told her coach "even the simple shots aren't working," and Clark's confidence grew from there.

"Our coach said something to us that really hit hard with me, and I also wanted the younger people to know — singles isn't about hit one shot then hit a bigger shot then hit a bigger shot. It's hitting shots on repeat and then waiting for your opportunity," Clark said. "Each player needs to develop their own game, but overall the mental toughness of grilling point after point, and then also just playing with confidence like going after and believing that you can win, is a really big deal."

Delta will play Fairfield (16-1) in the semistate tournament at Homestead High School at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 28. Cleland urged the girls in his post-match speech not to let their guard down just because they haven't heard much about their opponent. He said Fairfield is an experienced group with plenty of grit and athleticism, so the Eagles must remain aggressive.

Only Delta's No. 1 doubles team advanced last season, eventually being the state runners-up. This Eagles group may not be as experienced, but Cleland thinks their season-long improvement gives them a good shot against any team.

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"I'm proud of this team because I think they've come a long way ... We played a lot of state-ranked teams, good teams, and so we're hanging in there at 18-4 and the kids have really good records and they've done it against some pretty solid competition," Cleland said. "I think the kids are going to go in confidently, but not overconfident by any means, and we have a chance."

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com or 765-729-4742.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA tennis: Delta high school wins 7th straight regional title