Girls tennis: Medina's Ashley Wallace reverts to old form to beat Brunswick

MEDINA — Medina tennis player Ashley Wallace returned to her roots Wednesday afternoon and it paid off in a big way. The junior turned to her previous keep-it-in-play style to defeat Brunswick's Addison Burns 6-4, 6-0 at second singles as the Bees beat the Blue Devils 4-1 in a largely competitive Greater Cleveland Conference match. The adjustment was not difficult for Wallace, who began her sophomore year at third singles before moving up to No. 2 early in the season. With Burns moving from third singles to No. 2 because Brunswick No. 1 Sofia Droz was out due to illness, which forced the Blue Devils (8-3, 2-1) to shuffle their lineup, Wallace quickly determined eliminating errors and simply getting the ball back was the way to get a win on her court and help the Bees (4-1, 2-0) notch a team victory. "I figured out I just needed to keep the ball in play," she said. "I thought if I kept the point going, I would win it." The strategy worked to perfection, but as she built momentum Wallace used more of her forehand slice to set up points, often finishing them by hitting winning volleys at the net. That led to a one-sided second set and helped her improve her season record at the No. 2 spot to 6-2. "The mental part is the main key of tennis," she said. "If you get in your head, you're not going to win the match. I didn't get in my head and I won." Medina also got a singles win from No. 1 Megan Nuske, who recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory over left-hander Kate Muniak, who extended a lot of points after moving up from second singles to replace Droz. The Bees then got a win from the first doubles team of Julia Kraft and Hayden Rea, with the Bees downing Abby Ivory and Ava Daddario 6-4, 7-5 in a highly competitive match, and a 6-4, 6-7 (8), 10-5 victory from Claire Kocar and Larken Talley, who downed Alexis Markowski and Kate Staunton in a marathon match at second doubles. "We put balls away at the net, but a lot of points were 50/50," Kraft said. "It was a very close match. They play very similar to us in their style, so it was hard to get points. The games were very close." Brunswick, which has improved considerably in Kevin Naugle's second season as coach, got a win from freshman third singles player Julianna Ulm, who downed M.J. Pimpo 6-4, 6-4 in a match that featured a number of long points, including one where each player struck the ball at least 20 times. Ulm's backhand was particularly consistent, as was Pimpo's inside-out forehand. "I like relying on myself," said Ulm, who also has seen a decent amount of action at second doubles. "I know what I can do and what I can't do. "The match was pretty competitive. She competed hard and I just had to fight back." Down 3-4 in the second set, Ulm finished the match by rattling off three straight games, but she wasn't thinking about avoiding a third set on a hot and humid day. "I decided not to think about that and just play," she said. "If I lost, I lost and I'd be a good sport, but I decided I wanted to win." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Medina 4, Brunswick 1 Singles: Megan Nuske (M) d. Kate Muniak, 6-1, 6-3; Ashley Wallace (M) d. Addison Burns, 6-4, 6-0; Julianna Ulm (B) d. M.J. Pimpo, 6-4, 6-4. Doubles: Julia Kraft/Hayden Rea (M) d. Aby Ivory/Ava Daddario, 6-4, 7-5; Claire Kocar/Larken Talley (M) d. Alexis Markowski/Kate Staunton, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 10-5. Records: Brunswick (8-3, 2-1), Medina (4-1, 3-0).