Disappointing finale will not define Tigers tennis season

May 27—ALEXANDRIA — While the season ended in a rain-marred regional final, it was a loss that could not take away from the most successful year in Alexandria girls tennis history.

The 20th-ranked Delta Eagles took control at Marion on Wednesday before rain forced the matches to be suspended and the 27th-ranked Tigers could not halt the momentum Thursday when play was concluded indoors in Greentown. Delta took the title 5-0, the 19th regional championship in the history of the storied program.

"This is one of my deepest and strongest teams I've had. We set a school record for wins," Alex coach Matt DeVault said. "You try to crank it up another level, but there's that stigma when you play Delta. Delta is obviously the class program around here for a couple decades. You're trying to almost beat that mindset before you step on the court."

There were questions surrounding the Tigers heading into the season, most concerning the fact DeVault had to replace all three singles players — Riley Heiser, Gracyn Hosier and Rylee Pyle — who had graduated. In order to win a third straight triple crown — Madison County, Central Indiana Conference and sectional championships — he would need some newcomers to step up.

Enter sophomore Allie Clark, senior Kara Simison and junior Gabby Hosier.

The trio with very little varsity experience handled their roles and teamed up with two strong doubles teams to forge a program-best 20-win season, a first ever top-30 ranking and that third straight triple crown.

"Kara and Emily, this was their first really heavy varsity year," DeVault said. "It's been pretty special that we graduated our singles from last year and we found three girls to step up."

The strength and experience of this year's Tigers lay in those doubles players. Seniors Carlie Remington and Taylor Stinefield at No. 1 and Ally Honeycutt and Emily Leever at No.2 gave DeVault and the team an advantage as they typically had two points in their pocket before play began.

Honeycutt and Leever were 22-3 while Remington and Stinefield were 19-3 — Remington had also played several matches at No. 1 singles early in the year after the passing of Clark's mother.

Even having four seniors at doubles was somewhat deceptive as Leever had seen very limited varsity play prior to this year. But she and Honeycutt clicked immediately.

"Ally made me feel more comfortable," Leever said. "She was very welcoming, and I had very little fear for it."

With five of his seven primary varsity players graduating, DeVault will once again need to make over his roster as he seeks a fourth straight championship season. But with Clark and Hosier back and the depth from a 14-3 junior varsity team with which to build, the optimism is there.

"The hope is that (Clark) got that valuable experience and understands what that next level is like and be ready by next season," he said. "We'll pair her with Gabby Hosier, who had an amazing season at No. 3 singles.

"Those two will play big roles. Addy Warren and Lily Harpe got to play a lot of varsity this year. I'm sure they wished they could have played more, but they've positioned themselves to be key players for us next year as well."

Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.