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“I wouldn’t say there’s that much pressure. If you put too much pressure on yourself your senior year you’ll get inside your own head,” Wallace said. “I’m just playing for fun right now. Of course I’m playing to win, but fun is definitely a big part of it. I’m enjoying my final season.”
Wallace returns to Troy Community Park on Saturday for the sectional finals. The four semifinalists in singles and doubles play to determine seeding for next week’s district tournament in Mason.
Wallace, the No. 2 seed , plays Eaton freshman and No. 3 seed Grace Murphy in the semis. Top-seeded Sophia Murphy, a sophomore from Eaton, plays Milton-Union freshman and No. 4 seed Taylor Falb in the other semi.
Wallace received a bye in the first round. In the second round she beat Northwestern senior Jordan Beard 6-1, 6-0. Wallace knocked off Tippecanoe freshman Annie Livesay 6-4, 6-1 in the third round. And in the quarterfinals, Wallace beat Lehman Catholic senior Claire Larger 6-3, 6-0 in a tense match.
Larger was leading 3-2 and hit a shot wide that Wallace called out, a call Lehman’s coach said after the match he agreed with. But a clearly frustrated Larger didn’t play the same from that point on.
“My first match was quick. My second match was a little bit more of a struggle, but I came through that one,” Wallace said. “My third match I think she got inside of her head. She was mad so I had to play off of that. I tried to change it up.”
“I’m so proud of Macy because she held her composure so well through that match,” KR coach Sherri Bennett said. “She wasn’t letting anything rattle her. She was determined. She had a goal and she was meeting that goal.”
Also Tuesday, Northwestern sophomore Kate Pederson reached the quarterfinals before falling to Sophia Murphy 6-0, 6-0. Greenon senior Shelby McHenry also lost in the quarterfinals to Grace Murphy 6-2, 6-0.
“This is my best year,” Murphy said. “I’m proud of myself for standing my ground. I wish I’d done a little bit better but I’m proud of what I did.”
In doubles play at Troy High School, rain forced Northwestern’s unseeded team of Leah Dotson and Allex Smith to finish their quarterfinal match Wednesday evening with fourth-seeded Lehman Catholic. Dotson and Smith, both juniors, entered Wednesday tied one set apiece with Lehman senior Sarah Gibson and junior Angela Brunner.
Lehman won the first set 6-3. Northwestern led the second set 2-0 when rain stopped the match. Schroeder Tennis Center in Tipp City had an open court available until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, giving the Warriors just enough time to win the second set 6-4. The teams returned to Schroeder to play the final set 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The winner plays Milton-Union’s top-seeded team of senior Hannah Fugate and sophomore Meredith Fitch. No. 2 Tippecanoe also advanced.
Kenton Ridge junior Abbey Holbrook and sophomore Gretchen Hefner, the No. 3 seed, reached the quarterfinals before getting upset by Eaton senior Addie Bell and junior Brianna Ward.
“They got in a hole with the first set and got their confidence down,” Bennett said. “They were able to build that back up for the second set. This just wasn’t their year. They’ll get it next year.”
The sectional semifinals start at 9 a.m. Saturday.
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