Bethany Christian vs. Angola (Scrimmage)

Look at our beautiful team. Brilliant blue jerseys and smiling faces. So wonderful.

Well, we got our first chance to stain our jerseys with real sweat on Thursday night. And we got that chance against stiff opposition. My alum mater, the Angola Hornets, rolled into town with a strong team who are the defending DeKalb Sectional champions and Homestead Regional runner's up. The strength of their lineup lies in their singles players, 2008 all-district player Josh Quandt, 2007 all-district player Nick Burlingame, and a strong #3 singles player in Brian Beinz. But the whole team was powerful and proficient.

Which isn't to say that we went down to losses at all positions. I was proud that we more than held our own. Instead of laying out an overall description of the match, I'm going to pick my top five matches from the night, and highlight those individually. Then at the end I'll give some overall descriptors.

#1D - Mikey Kelly/Kyle Miller defeated Gavin Bush/Matt Julien, 6-4
In this match, I was really proud of the way that Mikey and Kyle dealt with poor play on their part. This was a segment in which Angola played their regular lineup, so Gavin and Matt will probably end up at #1D together. At the beginning of the session, they played several great games to take a 2-0 lead. Mikey was really hitting his serve well, and both he and Kyle were putting balls away at the net. In the middle, Kyle first began to miss some sitters at the net, and then Mikey joined in. At one point the pair trailed 4-3. Sometimes this can be crushing, to lose a lead when you are playing poorly, but Kyle and Mikey instead focused on closing the net more and finishing points. This allowed them to win three games in a row and close out the session at 6-4.

#1S - Ben Mast defeated Brian Bienz, 5-4
In one segment, moved their regular lineup so that their singles players could face different opponents. Bienz, normally #3, moved up to play Ben, our normal #1. This put a very peculiar kind of pressure on Ben, he was "supposed" to win. It was obvious that he was tight at the beginning of the match. But we need players this year who find a way to stay positive despite nerves, bad starts, bad play, and intense pressure. Because staying positive allows you to win. And Ben, despite not playing his best game, was able to find a way to win. He put effort in, he stayed with each point, and he was able to win. What I am really concerned about though was the attitude that it took to fight the self-imposed pressure, and I'm glad he found it.

#1S JV - Matt Ebersole lost to Scott Moberg, 3-4
Before this match started, Mike Kelly (Mikey's dad), said that they had watched Moberg play in the doubles segment, and that he was really good, too good to be on JV. Well, this would be Matt's first match at that level and he held in there. At multiple points in this match, Matt held the lead. In the end, he couldn't pull out the last game for a 4-3 "win." But I was more impressed at the way that his skills have improved over the summer from taking lessons, and now he is applying that in matches. Matt has a load of potential, and as he works hard to go with it, good things will happen.

#1D - Mikey Kelly/Seth Krabill tie Josh Quandt/Nick Burlingame, 4-4
In this match, Seth and Mikey faced two All-District players. And what did they do? Jumped out to a 3-0 lead with some of the most attacking and sound doubles strategy possible. They were not afraid or disheartened by having to face two very solid players. No, they were energized and attacked the challenge. Why don't I see this more across the board from our team? We're supposed to lose, so what! Let's go show them how good we can be! Now, Quandt and Burlingame recovered from their early hole and made the match very close... but what a good match Seth and Mikey played. They would probably tell you they had chances to win it outright and were disappointed to tie. But I was impressed with their energy and confident attitude.

#4D JV - Himal King/Wade Troyer defeated Jack Wagner/Colt Ridenour, 5-3
At the other end of the doubles lineup, Himal and Wade played their first interscholastic high school match today. What made me put this match in here was that they both wanted to win and were energized by their good shots. Many beginners get so down on themselves as they make a myriad of mistakes that they forget to celebrate their good shots. Himal was constantly loving it when he or Wade would hit a winning shot, saying "yes" and clenching his fist. Wade was also all smiles. I should add that Evan Eby did the same in the tiebreakers segment. I love to see people rejoicing in the good, instead of sulking over the bad.

So, I was happy with:
1. Our mentally recovery from bad play.
2. Our mental strength in the face of pressure.
3. Our work from the summer paying off as we work hard now.
4. Our confidence and aggression in the face of difficulty.
5. Our celebration of the good!

So that is my celebration of the Scrimmage. Much more happened, some good, some bad, some revealing. But it is a great starting point and chance to learn! Thanks to all the parents who came to watch us get started. We can't wait to play again Tuesday!