Willard edges Port Clinton in SBC Bay clash

WILLARD — The Crimson Flashes aren't going quietly once again. After Port Clinton snapped Willard's 52-match win streak in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division last season to force a co-title, the two girls tennis programs met for the first time since that epic marathon match in September 2020. And the rematch didn't disappoint. Willard flipped the script and this time claimed a 3-2 win over the visiting Redskins (6-3, 3-1) to improve to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in the league on Monday at the Dean Ave. Complex. In the second meeting last year, the Redskins claimed the 3-2 win after all five matches went three sets and lasted four-plus hours. "Every Port Clinton match seems to go this way," Willard head coach Josh Bauerle said. "They are extremely well-coached and they put in the work this offseason, just like we did." Assessing the matchups beforehand, Bauerle opted for a different look once again at second doubles. With four straight SBC Bay Division titles entering the season, the Flashes brought back just three of the seven starters from 2020. Monday's match marked the seventh different player in doubles action already this season for Willard. The No. 2 doubles tandem of Vivian Barnett and Moriah Slone came away with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win in three sets over Port Clinton's Lilly Howell and Alexa Taylor for one of the three wins that decided the match. "We decided to go with a different look tonight and it allowed us to get the matchup at second doubles we wanted," Bauerle said. "They came through with a tough third set match." At first singles, Summer Kennard rallied from a 6-4 loss in the first set to Arielle Montowski to claim the next two sets in scores of 7-6 and 6-2. "Summer battled back after a tough first set and in a moment that came down to nothing but will power — she came through," Bauerle said. "She put in an incredible amount of work to put herself in this position and she owned the moment when it came." At second singles, Naomi Schag won for Willard in two sets over Olivia Eickert, 6-1, 6-3. "Naomi had the best match of her career," Bauerle said. "We expected that to be a very tight match based on the scores we had seen, but Naomi came out with all her strokes working and her serve as a weapon. "It's been fun watching her step into her sister's (Ella) old spot and be successful in her own way." Winning for Port Clinton was Reagan Ruthsatz at third singles over Ashley Hamons (6-0, 6-1) and the first doubles team of Paige Reineck and Alyssa Mares, who beat Natalie Rothhaar and Madelyn Shaarda by scores of 6-2, 7-6 (0). "Willard has been the class of our conference the past five years, and we knew we were in for a long fight tonight," Port Clinton coach Joe Miller said. "Two of the matches went three sets, and we weren't able to pull either of them out, which proved to be the difference. "While this one is tough to swallow, we reminded the girls that we fell 5-0 to Willard last year before beating them the second time to share the SBC title. We will remember this quiet bus ride home and turn our focus to Edison (on Tuesday)." Now alone in first place, Willard will host Fremont St. Joseph on Thursday and Huron next Tuesday in league action. The Flashes have key road matches at Edison on Sept. 14 and at Port Clinton on Sept. 21. "We know we will be in for a battle at Port Clinton, not to mention the teams before we get there," Bauerle said. "But I could not be more proud of what these girls did out there tonight."