Wednesday Opponent Overview: Churubusco

Last Season Review
Last season, the Eagles began a new year under a new coach and showed marked improvement over past years. They were very competitive at the highest singles positions, and return both of those players for their senior years. However, the bottom of the lineup remained a problem for Busco, and they couldn't find a winning combination that allowed them to compete for very many match wins. They rode their singles players to a 7th place finish in their conference tournament (out of 9 teams), and were eliminated quickly from the Warsaw Sectional.

Returning Varsity Players
Alex McDowell - Alex McDowell enjoyed a very successful individual season last year, including notching a win over Wyatt Stutzman and placing 3rd in the NECC Conference tournament. Luke had to work hard to earn a victory over McDowell, although the scoreline would show otherwise. McDowell had a very good serve and forehand, but Luke was able to attack and hit very good volleys to eventually break him down. McDowell will be a very difficult opponent for many next year, and a good test for us when we play.

Ryan May - May was injured when we played against Churubusco this past season. You may remember him as the guy who was walking around with his shirt off when we arrived to play the Eagles last year. He was also having a good season before his injury, also defeated Fairfield's Brock Bechtel before going down to injury. He also will be an even matchup for us next year.

Jesse Lich - Lich had played mostly at #1 doubles for the Eagles before our match with them last year. He switched to #3 singles because of May's injury, and gave Jonny fits before Jonny was able to figure him out. He sliced the ball low and short most of the time, and was able to run around and get to everything that Jonny threw at him. In the end though, he didn't have enough big shots to get past Jonny when Jonny would hit a well-placed approach shot and attack.

Jon Hilsmier/Brandon Green - Johnny and Jeremy played a fantastic match against these two, but they both seem to be beginning tennis players and had difficulty dealing with the spin and pace that Johnny and Jeremy played with. With Johnny's high kick serve and Jeremy's slicing serve, and then both players attacking the net, Green and Hilsmier had little chance. Improvement seems to be likely under the Eagles new coach, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this pair at #1 doubles again next year.

Other Possible Varsity Contributors
Maybe they will have some new freshmen? They had no #2 doubles last year or any JV.

Outlook
A lot depends on how many people come out to play on the team. Even if they get some freshmen out for the tennis team, it looks to be a difficult season for the Eagles, simply because the bottom of their lineup does not match the top. McDowell and May would be contributors to just about any varsity in the whole of Northern Indiana, but the rest of the Eagle team is not at that same level. So the improvement of the bottom players will determine success this year for Busco as a team.

Blessing
We continue to pray that God will bless this team in many ways throughout this year.