JEFFERSONVILLE —  

For the third straight year, the Jeffersonville girls’ tennis team won the Jeffersonville Sectional championship on Thursday. 

“It was stressful, really, from the get-go,” Jeff coach Mark Reilly said. “We knew we were playing Providence. They have a good team.” 

However, the Pioneers didn’t make it easy for Jeffersonville to knock them off. Between the two doubles matches, there was plenty of fight in the Providence squad. 

At No. 1 doubles, Jeff’s Morgan Reilly and Macy Lancaster needed three sets to down Megan Jakoby and Kelsey Haas, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. 

But that wasn’t even the hardest-fought battle of the day. At No. 2 doubles, Rachel Williams and Kaitlyn Wunsch needed two tiebreakers to defeat Kristin Simms and Sarah Federspiel of Providence, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3). 

The Jeff duo was up 5-2 in the second set, only to watch Simms and Federspiel battle their way back into the lead in the match.

“They get so nervous, they tend to underhit and then don’t move their feet and let the momentum get them,” Reilly said. “... Whoever is losing tends to play the best tennis.” 

Jeffersonville’s third point came courtesy of Emily Lewis, who took a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Margaret Bremmer at No. 2 singles. 

Providence’s points came at the top and bottom singles spots. Jacqueline Hollkamp blew past Julianna Jenks to advance in the individual state singles tournament at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1. In a surprising match, Providence’s Abbie Shelton — subbing for the injured Alison Primavera — battled to defeat Larissa Neville at three singles, 6-4, 6-3. 

“You’ve got to be proud of (Shelton) because she played without stress and nothing to lose, and beat our girl pretty handily,” Reilly said. 

Providence loses four seniors off its varsity squad to graduation in Bremmer, Jakoby, Simms and Federspiel. 

Jeffersonville moves on to face the winner of the Floyd Central Sectional at the Floyd Central Regional on Tuesday. The No. 3 Highlanders are heavily favored to win their sectional today. 

“We play a good schedule. I think that we’ve prepared for it, so I just want to go out and compete well and see what happens,” Reilly said. “Floyd’s ranked third, the best team I’ve ever seen in this area since I’ve been coaching for girls’ tennis. They’ve got a nice team and a bunch of good kids.” 

NEW ALBANY SECTIONAL

• Bulldogs repeat as sectional champs: New Albany won its 15th consecutive sectional championship with a 4-1 over Corydon in the New Albany Sectional final.

The Bulldogs swept all three singles spots. Maddy Bellew won at the No. 1 position, 6-2, 6-1. Erin Kanii prevailed at two singles, 6-0, 6-2, while twin sister Marin won at the No. 3 spot, 6-0, 6-0.

New Albany’s lone doubles point was at the No. 1 position. The Bulldog duo of Anne Marie Mattox and Emily Hoffer won 6-1, 6-4.

The Bulldogs will play the Silver Creek Sectional champion in the semifinals of the Floyd Central Regional at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

FLOYD CENTRAL SECTIONAL

• Highlanders trounce Eastern: Third-ranked Floyd Central advanced to today’s Floyd Central Sectional final with an easy 5-0 semifinal victory over Eastern. 

The Highlanders only dropped four games. At No. 3 singles, Dana Frank downed the Musketeers’ Sierra Purlee, 6-0, 6-1. At No. 2 doubles, the Floyd Central tandem of Chelsea Shackelford and Kadey Welch won 6-1, 6-2.

Highlander singles players Olivia Boesing and Carmen Schreiber and Floyd Central’s No. 1 doubles team of Whitney Batliner and Katherine Dauby each prevailed 6-0, 6-0.

“I think we played with a lot more intensity today. Our priorities today were more intensity and getting our footwork going,” Highlanders’ head coach Rick Miller said. “I thought we hit the ball on the strings better today. We wanted to be more physical and give them problems with our athleticism.”

Floyd Central will face North Harrison in today’s title match at 4:30 p.m.

SILVER CREEK SECTIONAL

• Dragons, Braves win semis: Silver Creek and Borden will square off in today’s Silver Creek Sectional final at 4:15 p.m. after each team won their respective semifinals on Thursday.

The Dragons downed Charlestown, 4-1. Silver Creek singles players Kat Hebble and Kristen Haeberlein each won their matches, 6-0, 6-0. The Dragons’ No. 1 doubles team of Rain Hopkins and Jenny Block defeated Emily Shaw and Erica Broady, 6-1, 6-1. At two doubles, Katy Hawkins and Rebekah Knittle beat Charlestown’s Bailey Masingo and Hayley Trinkle, 6-2, 6-0.

The Pirates’ lone victory was at No. 3 singles, as Sarah Trotter defeated Creek’s Tess Vanover in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Borden defeated Henryville in the other semi, 4-1.

The Braves’ two doubles tandems prevailed in straight sets. At the No. 1 spot, Sarah Hurst and Erika Frascella won 6-0, 6-2. At No. 2 doubles, Borden’s Paige Kruer and Morgan Mast beat Alicia Lindley and Natalie Bobay, 6-1, 6-0.

The Braves’ No. 2 singles player Allison Rademacher defeated Katie Cleveland, 6-1, 6-1. At No. 3 singles, Borden’s Abby Ellis won 6-3, 6-1.

Henryville’s lone point was at No. 1 singles, as Casey Guernsey beat Erin Mikel, 6-2, 6-2.

JEFFERSONVILLE SECTIONAL

FINAL

Jeffersonville 3, Providence 2

Singles — Hollkamp (P) d. Jenks 6-1, 6-1; Lewis (J) d. Bremmer 6-1, 6-0; Shelton (P) d. Neville 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles — Reilly-Lancaster (J) d. Jakoby-Haas 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Williams-Wunsch (J) d. Simms-Federspiel 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3). 

NEW ALBANY SECTIONAL

FINAL

New Albany 4, Corydon 1

Singles — Bellew (NA) d. Hernando 6-2, 6-1; E. Kanii (NA) d. Uhl 6-0, 6-2; M. Kanii (NA) d. Kopsallas 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles — Mattox-E. Hoffer (NA() d. Lejeune-Hodges 6-1, 6-4; Kelley-Elsler (C) d. L. Hoffer-Bhimani 0-6, 6-2, 7-6.

FLOYD CENTRAL SECTIONAL

SEMIFINAL

Floyd Central 5, Eastern 0

Singles — Boesing d. Roberts 6-0, 6-0; Schreiber d. Sells 6-0, 6-0; Frank d. Purlee 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles — Batliner-Dauby d. Nale-Cusick 6-0, 6-0; Shackelford-Welch d. Harrell-Hein 6-1, 6-2.

SILVER CREEK SECTIONAL

SEMIFINALS

Silver Creek 4, Charlestown 1

Singles — Hebble (SC) d. Higazy 6-0, 6-0; Haeberlein (SC) d. Embry 6-0, 6-0; Trotter (C) d. Vanover 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles — Hopkins-Block (SC) d. Shaw-Broady 6-1, 6-1; Hawkins-Knittle (SC) d. Masingo-Trinkle 6-2, 6-0.

Borden 4, Henryville 1

Singles — Guernsey (H) d. Mikel 6-2, 6-2; Rademacher (B) d. Cleveland 6-1, 6-1; Ellis (B) d. Jeffers 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles — Hurst-Frascella (B) d. L. Sinn-S. Sinn 6-0, 6-2; Kruer-Mast (B) d. Lindley-Bobay 6-1, 6-0.