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Northview sweeps Linton to pick up second win in as many nights
Coming off an emotional night at Terre Haute South on Tuesday that saw all three singles players – No. 1 Brayden Goff, No. 2 Derek Morrison and No. 3 Gavin Roark – come back from one set down to snag the win, Northview’s boys tennis team didn’t have much time to bask in what happened less than 24 hours earlier as an improved Linton squad, as well as the mid-summer heat, paid a visit to Brazil on Wednesday in search of pulling off an upset of its own.
However, Northview didn’t take the Miners lightly.
The Knights swept Linton 5-0 to pick up their second win in as many nights to continue their strong start to the season.
“I definitely think everyone was a little tired after last night, especially with all three singles going to three sets after losing the first set, so that made me a little nervous about what would happen tonight. But to sweep Linton, which has a much better team this year, was huge,” said Northview head coach Emily Goff. “I think the win last night served as a big confidence boost. That was a good win, and tonight was a good win too.”
Against Terre Haute South, Goff, Morrison and Roark had to use every ounce of energy they had to win the final two sets in each of their respective matches to take down the Braves. While getting to the same endpoint, the trio of upperclassmen used a different route to victory on Wednesday against Linton.
Goff swept Jake Rose by scores of 6-3, 6-3; Morrison swept Connor Daily by scores of 6-2, 6-3; and Roark swept Banx Mathis by scores of 6-1, 6-2 to get the job done.
And while those three points were all the Knights needed to secure their fourth win of the fall, Goff was glad to see both doubles pairings bounce back with straight set wins after falling to South and Sullivan in the last week.
Zac Buell and Lincoln Pierce took down the tandem of Owen Smith and Ian Mauder by scores of 6-1, 7-5 while Christian Bryan and Mac Sheese, who made his varsity debut against South on Tuesday and was back alongside the Bryan on Wednesday with Raj Singh out with an illness, nearly had an unblemished win over Silas Nagy and Xander Kenworthy, winning by scores of 6-0, 6-1.
“Last night, Mac Sheese was put into the lineup for her first-ever varsity match, and it was also his first time ever playing doubles. I think that was a real eye-opener for him. So, it was nice for him to come back tonight and play a team that’s more comparable to us and get the win,” said Goff.
With the win, Northview improves to 4-1 on the season with its lone loss coming at the hands of a Western Indiana Conference foe in Sullivan. The Knights have a busy upcoming schedule, playing four matches against Danville, Greencastle, South Putnam and Bloomfield in an eight-day span, which includes the latter three coming in consecutive days.
Goff hopes to see the continuation of her team stacking wins while also getting more comfortable on the court alongside each other before hitting the midway point of the regular season. And with the work they’ve been putting in lately, she’s confident that will happen.
“I’m proud of the boys. They’ve worked hard,” Goff said. “We had an optional practice on [Labor Day] and to see the number of kids that showed up has shown me that we have some commitment and dedication that, hopefully, will last for years to come.”
Northview 5, Linton 0
Singles – Brayden Goff (Nv) def. Jake Rose (L) 6-3, 6-3; Derek Morrison (Nv) def. Connor Daily (L) 6-2, 6-3; Gavin Roark (Nv) def. Banx Mathis (L) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles – Zac Buell-Lincoln Pierce (Nv) def. Owen Smith-Ian Mauder (L) 6-1, 7-5; Christian Bryan-Mac Sheese (Nv) def. Silas Nagy-Xander Kenworthy (L) 6-0, 6-1