LIGONIER, Ind. – West Noble’s No. 1 doubles girls tennis team will cap off a high school career this weekend representing the school for the first time at the IHSAA State Finals.
Tara Miller and Riley Kruger paired up as sophomores, and haven’t looked back. Three years of hard work, practice, multiple matches and trust in each other have led to this moment.
“She’s my backboard,” Miller says of Kruger. “If I don’t hit something, I can count on her to get it.”
Miller has played tennis since age 4, even then under the tutelage of retiring West Noble head coach Jeff Iden. Miller played singles as freshman before teaming with Kruger in Year 2.
Inspired by her own sister, Kruger’s tennis career started in 9th grade. Her original partner was Tara's twin sister, Tori.
The Miller/Kruger duo is 18-1 in their final season together, and have gone 6-0 in the doubles state tournament. The pair clinched a sectional title and a first-ever regional title. As a full team, West Noble shared the Northeast Corner Conference championship for the first time since 1990.
Of the 7 remaining teams, Miller and Kruger are the only all-senior tandem left.
“It’s extremely exciting, because we never really thought we would make it this far,” Kruger tells ParkviewSportsMedicine.com. “Tara and I really bonded and had that chemistry on the court. We were able to play really well together.”
West Noble’s Miller and Kruger play Evansville Memorial in Match 2 of the state quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Friday. The winners face the winners of Providence and Yorktown in the semi-finals at 10 a.m. Saturday. The championship match is 2 p.m. Saturday.
Neither girl has no plans to play tennis in college, and hopes to leave their legacy on the state tennis courts when all is said and done.
West Noble is one of 26 high schools that partners with Parkview Sports Medicine for athletic training, sports performance, nutrition, athletic rehabilitation and orthopedic services for student-athletes. Learn more at ParkviewSportsMedicine.com.