MUNSTER | The numbers are definitely impressive.
Five straight regional titles, 19 out of the last 20, and 27 total since 1973.
The Times No. 1 Mustangs added to their legendary tennis tradition with an impressive 5-0 shutout of Highland in the regional final Wednesday afternoon. Munster (18-0) won in straight sets across the board.
"I like the way we came out strong and aggressive today," Munster coach Steve Lopez said after the match. "We wanted to come out focused and play hard and play smart. We accomplished all three goals today. It was a good day for us."
Jack Heiniger brought home the first Mustang point when he defeated Highland's Tyler Juranovich 6-0, 6-0.
"I don't try to be the first one off the court, but once I can see the end I try to go for it," Heiniger said. "I like delivering my team a lead and pumping the other guys up."
No. 1 singles player Aaditya Shah defeated Danny Morgan 6-0, 6-0 for the second Mustang point a few moments later.
"We're playing really well as a team right now," Shah said. "What excites me the most is the fact that I know we haven't peaked yet. We have a better game in us, and I'm hoping that will come out during semistate and state."
Munster, ranked No. 8 in the state, will travel to South Bend Saturday for their fifth straight semistate trip.
Highland finished the season 14-6. Coach Adam Baez will lose five seniors to graduation. Still, he believes he has the makings of a solid lineup next season.
"We have a strong JV team, and a few of them should move up and do well next year," Baez said. "Plus we have some new guys coming in that will help us to be very competitive."
In the individual tournament, Kankakee Valley's Luke Sanderson ran his record to 20-0 with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Calumet's Jeff Stooksbury.
Sanderson will face Crown Point's Daniel Smith at Munster on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The winner will go to LaPorte on Oct. 16 for the individual regional matchups.
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