Bethany Christian at Warsaw Invitational {Match Report}

This was such a great tournament and such a great day. No we didn't get all the results that we wanted, and no we didn't finish higher than Goshen did (which we definitely wanted to do), but we got great competition and had a whole lot of fun.

The tournament was set up so that each position (#1 singles, #2 singles, #3 singles, #1 doubles, #2 doubles) had its own tournament draw. So we all played different teams in the first rounds, and we all had different challenges throughout the day.

At #1 singles, Luke Hostetter drew Huntington North. He made quick work of this opponent, being consistent and forcing mistakes from the Viking player. Frustration of the opponent is often key to Luke's victories, and it was clear early that this opponent could be rattled. Luke kept his composure when a second set rally began, and was able to pull through the first round. This set Luke up in a match with Deon Shafer of Warsaw, who was the eventual champion. Luke gave it all the energy and vocal excitement that he could give, making this match a tense and highly active one. Deon was able to turn up his game at every corner though and ended with a convincing victory over our Bruin #1. Luke then dropped the third place game as well, playing the #1 player of 3rd ranked Indianapolis Park Tudor. So Luke finished in a very respectable 4th.

At #1 doubles, Johnny and Jeremy drew an undefeated team from South Bend Adams. They were able to jump out quickly, playing off of confidence earned in an aggressive victory the evening before. But after having two break points to take a 5-2 lead in the first set, the pair began to have difficulties with consistency and it was clear that their strokes began to tighten up. The South Bend Adams players gained confidence and began to hit big forehand strokes crosscourt, leaving little time for Johnny and Jeremy to attack. This made the team tentative, and that indecision cost them the match in the end. They moved into the loser's bracket and faced off against Huntington North. In a match that reflected how disappointing the loss to SB Adams was, Johnny and Jeremy struggled to regain their confidence. Despite having a match point in the tiebreaker of the deciding set, #1 doubles fell and moved into the 7th place game. In this match, the swagger of a confident team began to shine through as the Bruins easily defeated local rival Goshen to lock up 7th place.

At #2 singles, Jared Schwartzentruber was unlucky enough to be the only Bruin who drew a first round match with Indianapolis Park Tudor. Park Tudor was ranked 3rd at the time we played this tournament, and have some of the best players in the state on their team. Jared fought brilliantly, trading groundstrokes and attacking against a strong foe, but in the end Jared lost without a game won. In the loser's bracket, Jared faced up against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. Jared jumped out to a lead in this match earlier behind aggressive groundstrokes and never looked back. A late run of games by Luers made me a bit nervous, but Jared closed it out and advanced to the 5th place game. There he was challenged by Warsaw. In this match, Jared got the privilege of playing right next to the #2 and #3 players in the state who were locked in their own ferocious battle. Despite the distraction, Jared played well and put some good pressure on the Warsaw #2. In the end, Jared lost a close match to finish 6th.

At #3 singles, Jonny Shenk came off a marathon match on Friday night and looked gassed this Saturday morning. He lost quickly in 2 sets to rival Goshen, and said himself like he felt that he had lost some of his strokes. They came back quickly. In the next round he turned the tables and made quick work of South Bend Adams and then in the 5th place match saw off Huntington North without even losing a game. His tennis (after the first match) was impressive and "Jonny-like," racing across the court and making his opponent hit balls they never thought would come back. It's always a pleasure to watch Jonny when he is playing well.

Finally, #2 doubles. Daniel Buschert and Mikey Kelly. These guys came off the heartbreaking 3rd set tiebreak loss to Northwood the night before, but performed to the top of their capabilities at this tourney. A favorable draw saw them face off against Bishop Luers in the first round, the last place team at the tournament. They made quick work of the Knights, finishing off two quick sets, 6-1, 6-2. Then they saw a strong team in South Bend Adams, made even stronger by the fact that the Adams coach had moved their #2 singles player down into #2 doubles just before this match. However, Daniel and Mikey controlled the net in this match and it was rarely in any doubt who would be the victor. Mikey and Daniel then marched into the final to match up against Park Tudor. They played well, but couldn't keep up with the pace and accuracy of the Tudor forehands and backhands. Plus Tudor often forced both Mikey and Daniel off the net with their pacey attacking. But a 2nd place finish was a huge boost of confidence and much deserved for this team.

That left us tied for 4th when all was said and done, and that's pretty much what we deserved. A different outcome at #1 doubles would have done wonders for us, maybe pushing us all the way up to third, but, that's the way the cookie crumbles. We look forward to going back next year with a legitimate goal of moving into the top 3 spots!

Scores
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1st Place --- Park Tudor - 27
2nd Place --- Warsaw -18
3rd Place --- Goshen -12
4th Place --- South Bend Adams - 10 -Tie
4th Place --- Bethany Christian - 10 -Tie
6th Place --- Ft. Wayne Snider - 8
7th Place --- Huntington North - 7
8th Place --- Bishop Luers - 3

#1 Singles: 4th
Luke Hostetter --- 6-0, 6-3 --- David Ballard (Huntington North)
Luke Hostetter --- 0-6, 3-6 --- Deon Shafer (Warsaw)
Luke Hostetter --- 2-6, 2-6 --- Kent Winingham (Park Tudor)

#2 Singles: 6th
Jared Schwartzentruber --- 0-6, 0-6 --- Sam Miles (Park Tudor)
Jared Schwartzentruber --- 8-6 --- Steve Kelso (Bishop Luers)
Jared Schwartzentruber --- 4-8 --- Chris Finke (Warsaw)

#3 Singles: 5th
Jonathon Shenk --- 0-6, 2-6 --- Ryan Miller (Goshen)
Jonathon Shenk --- 8-2 --- Tom Hauch (SB Adams)
Jonathon Shenk --- 8-0 --- Adam Klaffke (Huntington North)

#1 Doubles: 7th
Johnny Kauffman & Jeremy Thomas --- 4-6, 3-6 --- Jake King & Nick Simeri (SB Adams)
Johnny Kauffman & Jeremy Thomas --- 7-8 (7) --- Tanner Harrell & Alec Eckert (Huntington North)
Johnny Kauffman & Jeremy Thomas --- 8-3 --- Andy VanKlaveren & Stefan Baumgartner (Goshen)

#2 Doubles: 2nd
Daniel Buschert & Mikey Kelly --- 6-1, 6-2 --- Jake Kuhn & Ryan Pyle (Bishop Luers)
Daniel Buschert & Mikey Kelly --- 6-2, 6-3 --- Sam Wein & Andrew Norris (SB Adams)
Daniel Buschert & Mikey Kelly --- 1-6, 1-6 --- Derek Reinbold & Juan Lopez (Park Tudor)