Norwalk tennis closes out season at Port Clinton

PORT CLINTON — The Norwalk High School girls tennis team concluded its season with a 4-1 loss on Thursday against host Port Clinton. The Truckers concluded the regular season with a record of 14-5 overall, which included a pair of losses to the Redskins (20-1), along with Perrysburg, Toledo St. Ursula and Sylvania Northview. "We finished out our season the same way we started it, with a match against Port Clinton," Norwalk head coach Harry Love said. "It was great to see how our girls have grown throughout the season, and they played really well against a strong Port Clinton team. "We were competitive against a team that is setting records left and right, and Port Clinton has a prestigious history with tennis, so when they are setting records that means something special," he added. Norwalk's lone win came at second doubles. Senior Chloe Hazelwood and junior Riley Helton defeated Lily Hatt and Jaelyn Mazur, 7-5, 6-3. At first singles, sophomore Leksi Jurczek fell to Grace Arnold (6-0, 6-1) and junior Alyssa Gruhlke fell at third singles to Anastasia Hughes (6-0, 6-0). The second singles match between junior Aubrey Kluding and Nora Pixler went long, with Pixler winning 6-3, 7-6 (12-10). The first doubles team of Lydia Trost and Addy Rospert fell to Megan Zgodzinski and Shantha Weit (6-1, 6-1). In junior varsity matches, Roxy Brummit and Abby Upton won, 6-1. Other winners included Emmie Leber and Scarlet Schneider (6-5), Nellie Ferguson and Vanessa Vazquez (6-5), Libby Lark and Ella Borgeson (6-2), and Keelie Cammarn and Nora Whaley (6-5). Also playing JV was Brooklyn Younce and Natalie Wiegel (5-6), Lily Ware and Grace Knight (4-6) and Natalie Morales and Valerie Samano (4-6). The Truckers went 10-0 in the SBC Lake this season, winning the league title for a fourth straight year. Ten of the SBC Lake and Bay teams will form the Northern Ohio Conference next fall, and Love will bring back six of his seven players from the regular lineup. "I'm already looking forward to 2026 and our new league, and seeing where these girls will go," he said. "We have a lot of hard workers, and I hope we can continue that trend of improvement all the way through next season." DISTRICT Campbell, Trost fall PORT CLINTON — Edison senior Liz Campbell and Trost fell in first round matches on Wednesday at the Division II district tournament. Campbell (21-3) fell in two sets (6-3, 6-2) against Maumee Valley Country Day's Layan Ridi. Trost won the first set against Lima Shawnee's Riya Naroor, but then lost the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3. Other Sandusky Bay Conference competitors included St. Mary Central Catholic's Rachel Spicer, who beat Celina's Isabelle Thobe (6-2, 6-0) before falling to Lexington's Uloedo Ezike (6-0, 6-1). Perkins' Anna Ferback lost to Ottawa-Glandorf's Maggie Schmiedebusch (6-0, 6-0), while Port Clinton's Hughes beat Bluffton's Hannah Nieman (6-0, 6-1) before falling to MVCD's Valentina Buchkova (6-1, 6-1). In doubles, Port Clinton's Zgodzinski and Weit advanced to state with a pair of wins. They defeated Ontario's Ellie Dawson and Sophia Schuster (6-0, 6-4) and Lima Bath's Myleigh Andrews and Courtney kendrick (6-1, 6-2). The duo plays Ottawa Hills in the district semifinals on Saturday. Other SBC doubles' teams saw Clyde's Ariah Farrar and Kenzie Guhn fall to Shelby's Courtney Howarth and Peyton Bruskotter (2-6, 6-1, 4-3). Perkins' Brynn Catlett and Jenny Gennari fell to Clear Fork's Makenna Wurtz and Aly Brokaw (7-6 (4), 6-2). Port Clinton's Pixler and Arnold beat Lexington's Hannah Remy and Lily Thomas (6-2, 6-1) before falling to MVCD's Sofia Avram and Mari Shannon (6-2, 6-3).