Coach Kyle Arnold and the Bellmont Braves finally got their season underway Tuesday at home against East Noble, winning 3-2.
Ironically, the returning starters fell in their matches, while the two new singles players, along with the new doubles team, were the three winning points.
Coach Arnold lauded his sophomore newcomers after a difficult week for the team.
“(They) really stepped up tonight on the varsity level. Lillian (Jin), Emma (Fuelling) and Lilyana (Suarez) and Ella (Ross) all showed great poise in their first match of the season. For each of them, it was their first career varsity win,” said Arnold.
The coach noted that the final team result came down to the third period at No. 2 doubles, where Ross and Suarez dropped the opening set, but came back to win the tiebreaker in the second to force a third set.
“By the time they were done, the lights were on,” he noted. The new varsity tandem faced match point five different times, but never gave up. They won seven of the eight tiebreaker points.
Ross and Suarez trailed again at 5-4 in the third, but won each of the next three games to take the match.
“I was really impressed with the poise they showed,” said Arnold, “playing in their first varsity match with the pressure on them. You could tell they were exhausted emotionally and physically, but they fought hard and that kind of experience with pressure comes in handy during sectionals.”
The Braves are set to play again at home Thursday against South Adams.
Bellmont 3 East Noble 2
No. 1-Sadie Potts (EN) d. Leila Jin, 6-4, 6-1
No. 2-Lillian Jin (B) d. Maria Bona, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3-Emma Fuelling (B) d. Keegan Ball, 7-6, 7-5
No. 1-Ella Edwards/Rylie Pasztor (EN) d. Isabelle Ortiz/Marisol Jackson, 6-0, 6-1
No. 2-Ella Ross/Lilyana Suarez (B) d. Cayden Holbert/Makenna Strohm, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5
Junior Varsity
Alyssa Coffey/Lucie McIntire (B) d. Ava Lash/Kendyll Swary, 8-1
Vanessa Hebble/Vienna Braun (B) d. Madison Grawcock/Nora Laur, 8-1
Averie Coats/Izzy Krull (B) d. Kayona Linthicum/Lily Grubb, 8-1
Sofia Steury/Lilly Alberding (B) d. Sophia Kline/Ava Lash, 6-2
Madison Grawcock/Nora Laur (EN) d. Elise Rumschlag/Faith Cook, 6-2