Columbus East High School

COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Columbus East boys tennis team hosted Hoosier Hills Conference rival Floyd Central on Friday night at the East Tennis Complex, falling 5-0 to the Highlanders squad despite several hard-fought individual battles across the courts. While the final team score favored the visiting Highlanders, the Olympians pushed Floyd Central to the limit in several key positions, featuring a pair of three-set marathons and a tight opening-set tiebreaker. At No. 3 singles, freshman Ritvik Prithiviraj put together one of the night's most dramatic performances against Floyd Central’s Gage Christmas. After dropping the opening set 6-1, Prithiviraj stormed back in dominant fashion with a 6-0 sweep in the second set to force a decider. Christmas managed to edge out the final set 6-4 to claim the victory. The Olympians also started strong at No. 1 doubles, where senior duo Trevor Ernst and Micah Wettschurack snatched the first set 6-4 against FC’s Kelton Granholm and Hudson Smith. However, the Highlander tandem regrouped to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-1. At No. 2 singles, sophomore Kai Bergman locked into a tight battle early against Ethan Noble, forcing a first-set tiebreaker before Noble pulled out the set 7-6 (7-4) and swept the second 6-0. In No. 1 singles, sophomore Landon Reddleman battled Floyd Central's Blake Schuler-Scanlon, falling 6-1, 6-4. At No. 2 doubles, junior Carson Hartsook and freshman Drew Lawson teamed up against Joel Irwin and Sergio Periggo, with the FC duo securing a 6-2, 6-1 victory. In Junior Varsity play, Columbus East earned notable victories. The No. 1 JV doubles pair of Daniel Wallace and Daniel Nordyke coasted to an impressive 8-2 win, while the No. 2 JV doubles tandem of Leo Rivera and Luke Christie earned a hard-fought 6-4 victory. MATCH RESULTS Floyd Central 5, Columbus East 0 Varsity Singles: No. 1 Singles: Blake Schuler-Scanlon (FC) def. Landon Reddleman (CE) 6-1, 6-4 No. 2 Singles: Ethan Noble (FC) def. Kai Bergman (CE) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 No. 3 Singles: Gage Christmas (FC) def. Ritvik Prithiviraj (CE) 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 Varsity Doubles: No. 1 Doubles: Kelton Granholm and Hudson Smith (FC) def. Trevor Ernst and Micah Wettschurack (CE) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 No. 2 Doubles: Joel Irwin and Sergio Periggo (FC) def. Carson Hartsook and Drew Lawson (CE) 6-2, 6-1 Junior Varsity Highlights: JV Singles 1: Mack Brady (FC) def. Cooper Harry (CE) 8-2 JV Doubles 1: Daniel Wallace and Daniel Nordyke (CE) def. Floyd Central 8-2 JV Doubles 2: Leo Rivera and Luke Christie (CE) def. Floyd Central 6-4 JV Doubles 3: Floyd Central def. Ian Shaw and Nazar Kabakbekov (CE) 6-1 This match signaled the end of the regular season. The Olympians wil now turn their focus to tournament play. The Olympians host the first round of the HHC tournament on Monday, September 21st when they host the Jennings County Panthers. IHSAA Sectional play, hosted by Columbus North High School, is scheduled to begin Thursday, October 1st.