FORT WAYNE — Delta girls tennis defeated Homestead 4-1 in the IHSAA semi-state match on May 30, 2026. The victory secured Delta its seventh appearance in the IHSAA state finals and its first since 2023.
Delta entered the match ranked No. 15 in the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association poll, while Homestead was ranked No. 18. Delta’s roster featured five seniors among its seven varsity players, compared to zero seniors for Homestead.
Homestead’s lone point came from junior Caroline Meier, who defeated Delta freshman Sophie Crabtree 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 1 singles match. Meier also advanced to the individual singles state finals.
Delta claimed the remaining four points. At No. 1 doubles, junior Alexa Bratton and senior Kate Manor won 6-2, 6-1 over Homestead’s Nadia Cowan and Emma Cook. Seniors Elizabeth Bamidele and Rowan Hinds secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 2 doubles. The pair finished the season undefeated with a 25-0 record. Hinds recorded her 89th career win in the match.
Manor now holds 95 career victories, the most in Delta girls tennis program history. "Semi-state, we haven't been there since freshman year, so honestly, going into it just makes it a lot more special," Manor said. "Being with Alexa, after winning against Westfield, it's just awesome to keep winning and keep going. We're really starting to pick up how we play with each other, really keeping the energy up."
"First set, it was 6-2, trying to come out more aggressive, I was definitely a little nervous and had some jitters," Bamidele said. "Just having Rowan there with her cool, calm, collected demeanor really helped. We just kept it going, and then second set, we had a bit of a kerfuffle when we were up 3-1 and Homestead, like we expected, wasn't going to back down. They kept fighting back and got it to a point where it was 3-4 for them."
"We've got a lot of experience, but I think our best characteristic is just our ability to be locked in at practice day after day," Delta coach Tim Cleland said.