CULVER – Liza Lewis admitted to being nervous prior to her first-ever regional tennis match Tuesday night.

The Warsaw fab freshman sure didn’t look too concerned on the court.

Lewis was cool, confident and in control the entire way in a dominating victory at No. 1 singles.

The outstanding performance by Lewis was the highlight of the night for the Tigers, who dropped a 4-1 final to Plymouth in a regional semifinal match moved indoors at Culver Academies due to the weather.

Lewis, a lefty with huge power,  defeated sophomore Erin Hunter 6-0, 6-2. Lewis, undefeated in the state tournament series, will advance as an individual in the No. 1 singles competition. Her opponent and date of that match is to be determined.

Lewis broke Hunter’s serve in the opening game and never looked back.

“I was nervous before the match, which I usually am, but that helps me,” said Lewis. “Once it started, I was fine. I knew that I could do it. I had a lot of confidence coming in and was ready to win again after the sectional.

“I felt like I was in control of the points. I just tried to be patient and go for the shots that I knew I could make.”

Lewis was one of four freshmen in the lineup for Warsaw, including a trio of ninth graders at the three singles positions.

“I’m glad to be playing No. 1 for us because it boosts my self-esteem,” said Lewis. “I’m glad all of us freshmen are so close and we push each other. I’m so excited about the future of our team. I think that we are going to do very well.”

Plymouth, which beat Warsaw 5-0 back on April 21, got big wins from its doubles teams. The duo of  seniors Libbie Portteus and Haley Harrell topped senior Camille Kerlin and freshman Hannah Rice 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1. The tandem of sophomore Kendall Dreibelbis and freshman McKenzie Scheetz bested senior Sydney Hartman and sophomore Athena Schlitt 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2.

The Pilgrims clinched the match as senior Jessica Stillson defeated freshman Ella Knight 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

The final point for Plymouth came as sophomore Lanae Singleton outlasted freshman Colette Smith in a marathon match at No. 2 singles. Smith won the first set 6-3 before Singleton rallied to win the final two 6-4 and 6-1 to take the two and a half hour match.

“Wow,” said Warsaw coach Rick Orban when asked about the showing by Lewis. “She just came out and played incredible tonight. She stuck to the plan and never lost focus. Her confidence is extremely high right now. She’s a smart player. It was just really neat to watch. I’m thrilled with that match.”

The Tigers had a completely different lineup than the one that had lost at Plymouth in a Northern Lakes Conference match last month.

“Yes our lineup was different, but Plymouth scared me,” stated Orban. “They are a very good team. You never know four sure how freshmen are going to react in a match like this. We were flat at two and three singles. It’s that simple. Ella did not play her game and Colette got away from the plan after her first set. I don’t know if it was nerves or what. We’ll talk about it.

“Plymouth’s doubles came to win. They were aggressive and that’s something you have to match against them. Their doubles are always aggressive. We were to passive tonight. Tonight though was a great learning experience for our team.”

Warsaw finishes at 10-10 in a season full of ups and downs with plenty of lineup changes and against a very tough schedule. The Tigers did win the program’s 15th straight sectional championship.

“It was a learning season for me and for the girls too,” commented Orban. “But, I’m so proud of them. We were 1-6 at one point against a schedule not meant for freshmen. The kids never hung their heads and they fought the whole season. It bodes well for us next year.”

Plymouth, now 15-3, will face host Culver Academies (10-9) in the regional final Wednesday at 5 p.m. Culver topped Wabash 5-0 in the second semifinal Tuesday night. The regional winner earns a spot back at Culver Academies on Saturday for the semistate.