Bethany Christian vs. Howe Military

It was an interesting last varsity match of the year, as we ended up rounding out our schedule with Howe Military. We were supposed to have one more varsity and JV match, but Tippecanoe Valley canceled, and so this was the end of the regular season.

In an annual tradition, we did not play all of our varsity regulars against Howe, despite the fact that they are a varsity team. It is a match in which we want to give people who have not played many matches a chance to play, and a match where our JV usually stacks up competitively against their varsity. So we threw out a little different lineup, and allowed many players to get some varsity experience.

Blake Shetler stepped out of his new #3 singles role and played #1 singles against junior Briham Yang. Blake has continued to develop his match strategy throughout the year, with "ninja" training from coach Andrew Lanctot, and his new skills were on full display tonight. I liked to see his aggression despite a player who hits the ball hard. Blake also had his serves on, and finished with a handful of aces.

#2 singles was Matt Ebersole, playing his first varsity match. He struggled a bit in the first set to find the pace of the match, but in the second set Matt really got it going. I've been saying most of the year that the main thing that hampers Matt is his footwork. In this match, he moved beautifully, running down balls and impressively choosing the smart shot most of the time. He rolled through the second set for a straight sets win.

Ike Lehman also got the call for singles, and played against an opponent with impressive strokes, but inconsistent placement of those strokes. Ike is another player who has shown rapid improvement throughout the year, and I can't wait to see what next year holds for him as he keeps playing throughout the offseason. He has become so much more consistent on his serve and forehand, and while they are not weapons yet they are reliable. He also has the tenacity to run balls down and make his opponent hit one more shot. Ike won this match and showed that he is going to be an asset for the Bruins for the next several years.

#1 doubles saw our seniors, Jake Gerig and Claude Stickler, team up together for the last time in Bruins uniforms. I am so proud of them, sticking with tennis for four years, and improving as they did so. There opponents weren't quite up to their level, and from the very beginning of the match, Howe Militay's players acted as if they knew they were in for some trouble. The match was played with a lot of laughter and a very light spirit, which I think was fun for the seniors. They won easily in their last match, the first varsity victory in his career for Claude.

#2 doubles was a much younger pair, Ryan Minter and Evan Grimes. In this match we were "introduced" to the athletic prowess that Evan possesses. He was all over the court making leaping, stretching, aggressive plays. He did a great job playing for his partner and covering Ryan's occasional mistakes and miscues. Ryan has done a great job developing his strokes, but still has the net game and his net presence to work on. But that is what the long offseason is for!

So we won the varsity match 5-0, and the JV match was a chance for the freshman and new players to show off their work. Wade Troyer played #1 JV, and played and excellent match. I never would have thought he would get to the point he has, with very good hand-eye coordination and ability to move to the ball quickly. He held in close in his match despite facing a 4-7 deficit at one point. He pulled the match back but still lost 6-8.

Josh Helmuth played #2S, and his match had the same theme as Wade's. I am encouraged to see Josh play because he cares a lot about doing the right thing and not making silly mistakes. He made just a couple too many errors to finish his match with a win, losing 6-8.

Himal King had the unfortunate responsibility of playing one of the better players from Howe, and he saw himself lose 0-8. Himal is another player who has developed great hand-eye coordination, but hasn't quite figured out how to speedily move about the court to get to the good shots of his opponents.

Evan Eby and Han Gil Lee teamed up for our only JV win. They fell behind quickly, but Han Gil figured out how to dominate the net after the opening games. Propelled by his new found net game and Evan Eby's consistent groundstrokes, #1 doubles was able to turn the deficit into a tight 8-6 victory. It was good to see both of these guys pick up wins, especially Evan after the work that he has put in throughout the season.

So, a 5-0 varsity accomplishment leaving us at 13-7 on the season. A 3-1 JV defeat ended the JV schedule at 5-8. Everyone got to play, and it will be a good way for these players to enter the offseason. A lot of work needs to be done, but some of these players may find themselves playing for a Sectional crown next year (or this year!)

Scores

Varsity
#1S - Blake Shetler - 6-1, 6-1 - Briham Yang (11)
#2S - Matt Ebersole - 6-4, 6-1 - Kun Lai (11)
#3S - Ike Lehman - 6-2, 6-3 - Zach Mellen (10)
#1D - Claude Stickler/Jake Gerig - 6-1, 6-1 - Ryan Patterson (11)/Justin Taylor (10)
#2D - Evan Grimes/Ryan Minter - 6-1, 6-3 - Eddie Hayes (11)/Jacob Riddle (12)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Wade Troyer - 6-8 - Robert Wira (9)
#2SJV - Josh Helmuth - 6-8 - Tyler Miller (10)
#3SJV - Himal King - 0-8
#1DJV - Evan Eby/Han Gil Lee - 8-6 - Nick Molner (11)/Alec Hill (10)