Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians tennis team opened its regular season Saturday morning by adjusting on the fly, moving the start time to 9 a.m. to stay ahead of expected rain. While they successfully avoided the weather, the Olympians came up just short on the scoreboard, falling 3-2 to Hoosier Hills Conference opponent New Albany in a highly competitive opener. Despite the team result, East showed strong early-season form—especially in singles play, where the Olympians accounted for both of their points. At No. 2 singles, Lauren Degner was dominant from the first serve, rolling to a convincing 6-0, 6-0 victory in one of the most decisive matches of the morning. No. 3 singles player Bruna Carreira delivered the most dramatic performance of the day. After trailing early, Carreira rallied to win a tight first-set tiebreak 7-6 (8-6), then carried that momentum into a 7-5 second-set win. Her ability to battle back and close out key points proved to be a major highlight for the Olympians. At No. 1 singles, Olivia DeBarro faced a tough matchup and fell 2-6, 1-6. Doubles play ultimately tipped the match in favor of the Bulldogs. The No. 1 pair of Zoe White and Ava Tartt dropped their match 1-6, 0-6, while the No. 2 duo of Lilli and Saya Hauser fell 2-6, 0-6. In the end, New Albany secured three courts to take the 3-2 victory, but the Olympians showed plenty of promise in their season debut. With a pair of strong singles wins and competitive efforts across the board, East has a solid foundation to build on as the early season continues.