MOUNT VERNON — Wooster sophomore Ava Mathur called herself every name in the book during the first set of Friday’s Ohio Cardinal Conference No. 1 singles championship match.
Useless. Awful. Horrible.
She smacked her leg and yelled to the sky. She found herself in a dark place after falling behind early against Ashland senior Audra McBride, whom she’d beaten handily three times in a row coming into the match.
“In past times, whenever I’ve played her, I’ve always been very aggressive, and that wasn’t working for me today,” Mathur said afterwards.
Mathur dropped the first set, 6-4. She found herself backed against a wall in the best-of-three match, needing to win the next two sets to not only come away with her first individual OCC title, but also secure Wooster’s third straight team title (the Generals led Ashland by just one point in the team standings coming into Friday’s championship tournament).
That’s when Mathur’s head coach, Justin Crooks, paid her a visit on the court.
“He said, ‘You’re fine. You can do it,'” Mathur recalled. “‘You need to just reset, and you can do it. I know you can do it. You’ve done it three other times prior to this; you can do it one more time.'”
And she did.
Mathur went on to win the next two sets, 6-2 and 10-2, to claim the title. She cracked a smile as she walked off the court, proud to have overcome what she did to get there.
“I had to just get my head back in-check and step back and start making more balls, making less errors. …” Mathur said.
“I just really had to stop hyper-criticizing myself on every aspect of my life and just focus on one thing at a time – just one point at a time. Don’t focus (on) school or everything else in your life, just focus on one point at a time.”
Mathur’s victory proved crucial for Wooster, which went on to win the OCC team championship by 3 points over Ashland. The Generals finished with 57 regular-season points, while the Arrows had 54.
Lexington (39), Mount Vernon (34.5), Madison (27.5), New Philadelphia (23.5), West Holmes (17) and Mansfield Senior (0) rounded out the conference standings following Friday’s action at Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Ramser Tennis Courts.
“It means everything,” Crooks said of Wooster’s third straight OCC team title. “We hadn’t won a conference championship since 1980 before the first one (in 2020), so just to change Wooster girls tennis into a perpetual winning program is really awesome.
“And the people that did that were the previous coaches like Matt Knight and the coaches before him. So we’re just really excited to just keep that going.”
1. Wooster (57 points)
2. Ashland (54 points)
3. Lexington (39 points)
4. Mount Vernon (34.5 points)
5. Madison (27.5 points)
6. New Philadelphia (23.5 points)
7. West Holmes (17 points)
8. Mansfield Senior (0 points)
Wooster swept the singles tournaments Friday, which proved necessary in the effort to outlast Ashland, as the Arrows won both doubles tournaments.
Mathur took first place in No. 1 singles, topping Ashland’s McBride. Mount Vernon’s Emma Annett placed third in the tournament.
Wooster’s Minnie Pozefsky won gold in No. 2 singles, defeating Lexington’s Malaina Wolfe by scores of 6-1 and 6-2. Mount Vernon’s Cameron Carlson placed third in the tournament.
And Wooster’s Alexia Kakanuru took first in No. 3 singles, knocking off New Philadelphia’s Katelyn Mamula in the final match. Ashland’s Hannah Miller placed third in the tournament.
Ashland’s Chloe Ediger and Morgan Kaufman won gold in No. 1 doubles, edging Wooster’s Deah Bresson and Grace Grey by scores of 6-1 and 6-4. Lexington’s Madison Carns and Ulo Ezike placed third in the tournament.
And Ashland’s Alex Swartzentruber and Haley Lefever took first in No. 2 doubles, defeating Mount Vernon’s Faith Hunter and Grace Mayville by scores of 6-3 and 6-0. Madison’s Olivia Lord and Emma Reynolds placed third in the tournament.
Wooster’s Mathur was named OCC Player of the Year at the conclusion of Friday’s tournament. Crooks was named Coach of the Year.
Wooster came into Friday a single point ahead of Ashland. Crooks said his team knew what was at stake.
“We knew our singles were very strong and we had a great chance of winning those. Doubles, we’ve just tried to improve all season,” the second-year head coach said. “(The message was), ‘Just forget about the whole season because this is the only day that matters.'”
All five tournament finals – the three singles matches and the two doubles matches – occurred at the same time Friday in Mount Vernon. When Ashland won both doubles tournaments, Crooks said it became clear Wooster would need to sweep the singles tournaments to win it.
Pozefsky took care of business first, followed by Mathur. When Kakanuru scored the winning point against Mamula, the rest of the team rushed the court to celebrate.
The Generals had done it again.
“It’s very exciting as a team,” Mathur said afterwards. “Last year, we got the OCC title as well, and it was very exciting to win (it again).”
2022: Wooster
2021: Wooster
2020: Wooster
2019: Ashland
2018: Lexington
2017: Ashland
2016: Lexington
2015: Lexington
2014: Lexington
2013: Lexington
Mathur won Wooster’s toughest finals match, going three sets against McBride, who made it to state last year. Crooks said he was proud of the way the sophomore responded to adversity midway through.
“She has all the skills in the world. She’s a very good tennis player, especially for her age. But mentally, that’s what she’s growing this year. …” Crooks said.
“Last year, she was in the (OCC) finals, it was close, and she kind of let some things get away from her. But this year, she could’ve easily just kind of quit, but she really dug deep, and she won it for us. If she would have lost that match, Ashland would’ve won.
“It was just a lot of pressure, but she was up for it.”
The Generals also needed key wins from Pozefsky and Kakanuru – as well as gutsy performances from their two doubles teams – to edge Ashland. Crooks said every point mattered on a day when the difference between first and second place was razor thin.
“We try to keep getting better throughout the season, and I think they got hot at the right time,” Crooks said.
“Our first doubles beat a team that they lost to during the regular season pretty badly, and that was huge for us. Then our second doubles, we were able to (win fifth place), and that’s good. So hopefully they’re building confidence and we just peaked at the right time.”
Ashland came within three points of its first OCC title since 2019. Coach Will Long said he was proud of his team regardless.
“I thought the girls played really well today,” Long said afterwards. “We knew going into it it was going to be really tough to pass Wooster, but overall, I’m happy with how everyone played.
“Yeah, we wanted that first-place victory, but we’re happy with second, with how everybody did.”
Crooks said many factors have led to this newfound golden era in Wooster girls tennis. The community has had an indoor facility now for the last four years, he said, which has afforded local players the opportunity to train year-round. Past coaches have also fostered a culture of success, Crooks said.
But the players have also earned every victory, Crooks added. Their commitment to the sport – combined with the coaching they’ve received within the program – have set Wooster apart in the conference.
“They’ve just been playing tennis from a young age, most of them. … (And) my assistant and I, we play tennis all the time. That’s what we do; that’s what we love. We’re not just here to help out the team. We know what we’re talking about and we actually play tennis at a high level. So I think we just help them really more with the mental aspect,” Crooks said.
“Our doubles teams were kind of new to tennis (this year), and so we could help them develop skills.”
There is now an expectation within the program, Crooks said, to win the OCC title every year. This fall, the girls in blue and gold were able to meet that expectation once again.
“When you see the girls have won it three years in a row, those girls don’t want to mess the streak up – which, we don’t want to add pressure to them, but they did a great job of stepping up. First doubles, they play volleyball and basketball, so they’re used to high-intensity (and) they can handle that stuff,” Crooks said with a grin.
“So I think that’s what our program is, and we just want to play our best. I mean, winning three in a row is awesome. We didn’t know we could do that going into this year.”
The OCC’s eight girls tennis teams will enter the postseason this week, when they will compete in sectional tournaments across north central Ohio. Click here for more information on where and when each team will play.
