Connersville

Connersville traveled to East Central to take on the Lady Trojans in the final EIAC matchup of the season, with the winner earning sole possession of second place in the conference standings. After early miscues across the board, the Spartans found themselves trailing and battled throughout the evening to regain momentum. Despite strong ball placement, solid groundstrokes, and aggressive net play, Connersville could not overcome East Central’s consistency, falling 4-1. The Lady Spartans finish third in the EIAC with a 5-2 conference record. At No. 1 singles, Sophia Starr edged Maddie Noel in a hard-fought match, 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 10-8. Bells Starr fell to Ava Vogelgesang 4-6, 3-6 at No. 2 singles, while Amielya Mays dropped a 2-6, 3-6 decision to Ava Detlaff at No. 3 singles. In doubles action, the No. 1 team of Cam Butts and Trinitee Steele battled before falling 2-6, 5-7 to Eva Steinmetz and Rylee Penning. At No. 2 doubles, Maddie Harrison and Ella Miller won the opening set before dropping a close three-set match to Allison Carpenter and Renee Leising, 6-1, 4-6, 5-7. Connersville earned a win in an additional varsity doubles match as Sophie Neal and Tessa Kelley defeated Paxten Feller and Candance Noel, 6-2, 6-1. Junior varsity doubles competition also highlighted the evening. Abby Keal and Cat Graves fell 0-8 to Callie Barrett and Sadie Creek, while Frances Kelly and Ella Poe earned an 8-4 victory over Kaci Lainhart and Reese Penning. Madison Smith and Dani Abams dropped a 2-8 decision to Tessa Grubbs and Alaina Cookendorfer, and Rylie Keal and Kami Scott battled in a 4-8 loss to Addison Patton and Ashley Kuhn. Addy Storms and Eileen Wang fell 1-8 to Marley Boone and Ryann Sparhawk. Connersville now stands at 12-6 overall and 5-2 in EIAC play, while the junior varsity squad is 9-4-1 overall and 3-2-1 in conference action. The Spartans will conclude the regular season on Friday, May 15, when they travel to Waldron for a 5 p.m. match. The Sectional Pairing Show will be held Sunday, May 17, at 7 p.m. exclusively on IHSAAtv.org. Sectional begins Wednesday, May 20, starting at 5 p.m.