BOWLING GREEN – Ross tennis coach Lisa Wolfe knows, unless you win the state tournament, all players will eventually have that disappointing end of the season.
Lily Abdoo hits a shot in the sectional tournament championship. RSR/Tony Zimmerman
But the biggest disappointment for Ross’ junior doubles team of Gillian Gallagher and Lily Abdoo is the knowledge that the season’s end didn’t have to come when it did.
The Lady Giants played two terrific sets Saturday morning in the first round of the district tournament. But, when they needed to produce a third well-played set to pull out the match and advance, they were unable to do so.
Gallagher and Abdoo lost in three sets, 4-6, 6-1, 1-6 to the Bowling Green team of Caitlyn Overhulse and Margo Utz, bringing their year, and the 2017 Ross girls tennis season, to a close.
“I texted both of them and said don’t forget what a great season both of you had,” Wolfe said. “I say this all the time, unless you win state, you’re going to have that sad ride home from somewhere. We didn’t want it to be a sad ride home from the first round today, but that’s the way it is. It shouldn’t take away from the great season the both of them had.”
In singles play, Gallagher posted a 10-1 record, mostly at No. 1, while Abdoo went 11-1, playing predominantly at No. 3 singles. Together they posted a 15-6 record in doubles play.
Saturday morning, the Lady Giants started out strong, though dropping a close first set before seemingly taking control in the second set.
Gillian Gallagher hits a shot in the sectional tournament championship. RSR/Tony Zimmerman
“They were doing everything right in set No. 1 and 2, even though they lost the first set, it seems like they were doing everything right,” Wolfe said. “…I don’t know if they let up a little bit in the third set but they definitely should have continued playing the way they played in the second set and it didn’t happen.”
The Lady Giants may have fallen into the trap of a false sense of security. Gallagher and Abdoo defeated the same Bowling Green team 7-5, 6-1 in the opening round of the Michaels Memorial doubles tournament on Sept. 16. After winning the second set so decisively, Wolfe struggled to understand how it unraveled so quickly in the third set.
“In the second set, I don’t know, Bowling Green seemed dormant,” Wolfe said. “They were just letting Fremont take control. The third set, I can’t even tell you. I told the girls, ‘You look like what we just talked about Bowling Green was.’ Kind of dormant. Making a lot of errors. A lot of errors. It wasn’t that BG was doing anything particularly wonderful, we just made a lot of errors in the third set.”
As juniors, however, both girls will return next year for one more shot at advancing deeper into the tournament. Wolfe is looking forward to seeing how they work on their game until then.
“The progressed from last season to this season because both worked very hard in offseason lessons and clinics in the Toledo area, and hopefully that will continue, I’m sure of it,” Wolfe said. “That’s their make-up, they want to get better.”
Wolfe was sorry to see this season in particular come to a close.
“This will be a season that I remember as a coach,” she said. “From the beginning of August until today, it’s been great, full of fun, drama-free, girls sincerely becoming great friends. A season to remember.”