Munster's Hill has one last mountain to climb

Mary Hill eclipsed the state record for most career victories last weekend when she won her 101st and 102nd matches.

This weekend, the Munster tennis star has the opportunity to do something no other singles player from Northwest Indiana has ever accomplished -- win the IHSAA Individual State Tennis Tournament.

"It was very humbling to break the record," Hill said. "It makes me happy about what I've done thus far. There's still a couple more steps to go to get to another milestone I want to reach."

Hill finished third in last year's competition. She beat Avon's Christina Riley in the consolation match after losing the only match of her remarkable career to Columbus North's Caroline Hedrick in the semifinals.

"It was almost a three-hour match and it was very close," Hill said. "It was heartbreaking."

Hedrick and Hill could be headed for a showdown for the state title if both win their semifinal matches that begin at 9 a.m. CDT Saturday at North Central High School.

Hill and Hedrick both drew byes when the draw was announced earlier this week.

"I got a call Tuesday, and we were excited. I told Mary I guess it was our reward for going to church on Sunday," Munster coach Bob Modesto joked. "It's almost as if I conducted the draw myself. We got a very favorable draw and we're happy about that."

On Saturday, Hill faces the winner of today's noon semifinal match between Lebanon's Bethany Moore (23-0) and Terre Haute North's Brittany Farmer (22-5).

Hedrick will face the winner of Friday's other quarterfinal match between Mishawaka Marian's Caroline Eberhart (24-0) and Avon's Riley (19-0) in Saturday's other semifinal.

The championship and consolation matches are set for 1 p.m. CDT.

With the favorable draw and a couple of other things in Hill's favor, Modesto likes her chances of becoming the area's first state champ.

"I think Mary's chances are good," he said. "I think she's got about a 70 to 80 percent chance of doing this."

Modesto said Hill has been hitting "exceptionally well" over the past few weeks and her preparation has been excellent.

"School's done, and she's graduated, so that's helped," he said. "Last year, she was still taking finals while trying to prepare for the tournament and that was difficult. Also, she's always hit the ball pretty well, but now she's pounding the ball and hitting more consistently. That's a tough combination to beat.

"We're hoping that everything falls into place and we do well. Another factor is handling the nerves. We're hoping to be able to do that, too."

Besides the favorable draw, Hill will be able to enter the tournament with a clear mind.

"I had a final last year on the day of my first match, so that was great," she laughed. "This time, I really feel prepared."

Hill said another key is for her to stay relaxed.

"Last year, I was so focused on if I win, or if I lose, and I definitely thought about it way too much, probably because I hadn't had a loss yet," said Hill, who will study marketing and play tennis at Coastal Carolina next year.

"I put way too much pressure on myself. I just have to make sure I guard against that by thinking about my stroke or my footwork. Maybe I'll sing random songs to myself, like maybe some Eminem. I'm a big fan, especially before matches, because it gets me really pumped."