Jersey Shore girls tennis earns road win at Central Mountain

Aug 30, 2023

MILL HALL- For the past couple seasons Jersey Shore tennis has put on a good showing in singles and doubles competition no matter what school is on the schedule. Some matches are tougher than others and even when the best player has a tough opponent its other teammates have stepped up to battle. Jersey Shore earned a true team win on the road Wednesday afternoon, defeating Central Mountain, 4-1.

Jersey Shore’s Peyton Dincher has owned No. 1 singles since she began her high school career. So, when she met a state-caliber player in freshman Addison Lindsay — sister of PIAA Class AAA finalist David Lindsay — the Bulldogs knew she would have a tough match.

“This was a great win for us overall,” Jersey Shore coach Ann-Marie Dincher said. “We wanted to take the pressure off our No. 1 singles and we wanted everyone to bring their best game. Not a single person let anyone down, everyone showed up and that’s what the Bulldogs do.”

Celia Shemory took her match, 6-0, 6-1, over Teresa Temple and Addison Koch closed singles play out with a convincing, 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ellie Harry of Central Mountain.

In doubles, Jersey Shore dominated in all facets. For the first team of Rahel Hartman and Jaymison Stellfox, the two came up with great, timely plays to help them win, 6-1, 6-2. In the second doubles match, Addy Bower and Josie Gerst made some noise with impressive teamwork and constantly keeping Central Mountain on its heels. The two came out with a 6-0, 6-0 win to help complete a sweep in doubles action.

In singles No. 1, Lindsay took the first game of the first set, looking strong early on. As the two switched ends of the court, Dincher came back to tie the set, 1-1. But back came Lindsay with a tough three games, going ahead 4-1 with intense serves and tough ball placement in various spots. Although Dincher rallied often, Lindsay countered those rallies with multiple backhands. Lindsay took the first set, 6-1.

In set two, Lindsay took a 1-0 lead early. She then took a 3-0 lead after Dincher seemed to regain composure and positioning but couldn’t pull out an advantage in one game. The all-so-powerful first-year varsity player then closed out the set and match, winning consecutive games to close the set and the match with a 6-0 win.

“I was very proud of Peyton; Addison Lindsay is definitely a state caliber player,” coach Dincher mentioned. “We welcome any competition and we’re never going to back down. I was pleased with rallies that I saw that Peyton had going. I was more impressed that her team stepped up and had her back today.”

Not only did Dincher’s teammates have her back, but they carried their own weight and each put on respectable performances. Shemory went up 3-0 early in the first set of her match, eventually taking a commanding 5-0 lead. That advantage gave way to a 6-0 shutout.

In her second set, it was more of the same action. While Ellie Harry did a solid job getting started in the set, playing each ball smartly, Shemory figured out what she needed to do. She took four consecutive games to take a 4-0 lead, eventually winning 6-1.

In singles No. 3, Koch also did some early damage. She took a commanding 3-0 lead that quickly increased to 5-0 as she won 6-0. In the second set, Koch took the momentum from the first set and translated it to the second set, winning a second consecutive shutout.

“Celia (Shemory) is a strong player for us and we’re thankful to have her at No. 2 singles,” coach Dincher said after the win. “She’s fierce and she doesn’t back down. She’s gonna keep the ball in play and will be the last one standing.”

The near-sweep for Jersey Shore couldn’t have been completed without a good performance from the Bulldogs’ doubles. Hartman and Stellfox put on a great performance in the No. 1 spot. The two got off to a 4-1 start in set one, eventually winning 6-2. Then, in set two, the duo picked up the pace as the feel for the match seemed to be coming more and more natural. The two returners took control of play, returning balls at the net quickly, eventually winning both sets, 6-2, respectively.

In doubles two, Addy Bower and Josie Gerst had a solid outing. The pair opened with a 6-0 win in set one and followed that up with another great set, shutting out Molly Dubbs and Emily Brinker.

“Our doubles dominated, which is always a great thing. Usually we put a lot of pressure on our singles players and we hope to get a win from one of our doubles. But today they were both lights out,” Dincher concluded.

Jersey Shore will take a few days off before it travels to Milton on Tuesday for its next match. Central Mountain will host Hollidaysburg on Friday.

Jersey Shore 4, Central Mountain 1

SINGLES

1. Addison Lindsay (CM) def. Peyton Dincher 6-1, 6-0; 2. Celia Shemory (JS) def. Teresa Temple 6-0, 6-1; 3. Addison Koch (JS) def. Ellie Harry 6-0, 6-0.

DOUBLES

1. Rahel Hartman and Jaymison Stellfox (JS) def. Catie Lugg and Jocelyn Sproat 6-1, 6-2; 2. Addy Bower and Josie Gerst (JS) def. Molly Dubbs and Emily Brinker 6-0, 6-0.

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