The Owls boys’ tennis team defeated New Albany 3-2 on Sept. 10, so Owls coach PJ Stein knew it wouldn’t be easy to advance in the Hoosier Hills Conference Tournament at home on Tuesday.

Seymour’s No. 2 and No. 3 singles players, Carter Stein, and Dane Thompson, gave the Owls two quick points with straight-set wins.

Stein topped Corbin Crone 6-0, 6-0 and Thompson beat Cassius Hall 6-0, 6-2.

The Owls had to battle three sets, and it took three hours of playing time to win the other three points for a 5-0 victory. The three-set matches were all completed under the lights.

Parker Thompson, at No. 1 singles, won 6-0, lost 6-2 and trailed 4-1 in the third set before he rallied for a 6-4 win over Sam Seigel to clinch the victory for the Owls.

Seymour’s Shun Takeuchi and Joel Stevens defeated Caleb Bradshaw and Cooper Anderson 6-2, lost 6-7 (4-7) then won 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.

Owls Xavier Dubois and Braylon Busby used the same route to victory against Trenton Hamilton and Kingston Pierce at No. 2 doubles. DuBois and Busby won 6-3, fell 6-7 (2-7), then won 7-5.

The win boosts the Owls record to 15-2 and they will play at Jennings County today.

Parker Thompson lost to Seigel in their earlier match this season.

Thompson said of his start, “My serve was on, and I just wasn’t missing ground strokes. I was putting them wherever I wanted them.”

The Seymour senior said at the beginning of the second set, “He started hitting shots, and his serve was on. He was working me. I was running back-and-forth.”

Thompson said then he began playing more consistently to win the final four games. “He was getting down on himself. He was tired and walking around and I was playing more consistent and kept it in and played my game.”

Thompson said this was his most meaningful win of the season.

“It was all in my heart.” He is 14-6 this fall.

Owls Coach PJ Stein spoke about the match.

“To have the two and three singles off the courts, Carter, and Dane- they steamrolled their opponents- was important,” he said.

“In the other three matches we took the first set, and it looked like we were on our way. It’s amazing how the momentum can change in a heartbeat,” Stein said. “Suddenly we found ourselves in those three matches on the wrong side and we found a way to come back and get that momentum back.”

“Parker played his butt off tonight. The guy he played, Sam, beat him convincingly a couple of weeks ago, and for Parker to come back and put up an effort like that, I could not be prouder of him.

The coach spoke about the comebacks from both doubles team.

“Two doubles fell down 3-0 in the third set and just found a new gear and found a way to pull it off,” Stein said. “One doubles lost a tough tiebreaker in the second set and came out and easily won the 6-1 in the third set, so I’m really proud of all five spots.”

He thought it was impressive to get a sweep considering all the things New Albany did well.

“Some were easier than others, but to find that extra gear, and to pull out a win 5-0 over a conference opponent like New Albany is pretty impressive,” Stein said.

Seymour beat Jennings County 4-1 on Aug. 29. Stein is not looking past the Panthers one bit.

“We don’t want to take anything for granted,” he said. “I think they have changed their lineup a little bit. Hopefully, we can take care of business and come back here and see what happens in the championship on Friday.”

Hoosier Hills Conference Tournament – Round 1

Seymour 5, New Albany 0

No. 1 singles: Parker Thompson (S) def. Sam Seigel (NA), 6-0, 2-6, 6-4

No. 2 singles: Carter Stein (S) def. Corbin Crone (NA), 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 singles: Dane Thompson (S) def. Cassius Hall (NA), 6-0, 6-2

No. 1 doubles: Shun Takeuchi-Joel Stevens (S) def. Caleb Bradshaw-Cooper Anderson (NA), 6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1

No. 2 doubles: Xavier DuBois-Braylon Busby (S) def. Trenton Hamilton-Kingston Pierce (NA), 6-3, 6-7 (7-2), 7-5