Bethany Christian vs. NorthWood

Friday night is always a fun night to play a home match. More fans show up (unless there is a soccer game), the SBA often tailgates the match, and their is usually a buzz in the air about the match. Let alone the fact that the match is usually NorthWood, one of our only matches regularly scheduled on a Friday. We've had some of the best matches on Fridays, beating NorthWood 3-2 in 2005 behind Joel King, Michael Steury and Jordan Kauffman. Even 2007's heartbreaker to NorthWood was a close fun match.

So last night, we had the fans, we had the Friday home match, we had the tailgate. We just didn't have the same match. The team moved to 10-2 with a 5-0 defeat of the NorthWood Panthers.

When a match is lopsided, it is really difficult to focus on the things that we did well or the things that we did poorly. But at every position, there were things that people were doing well, things that they've improved on, things that allowed them to win quickly and finish things off.

Kyle Miller and Austin Loucks did a great job of coming out focused and aggressive. As a #1 doubles team, they have been very effective when they have put the pressure on and taken the net away from their opponents. They rattled off the first 5 games of their match as they controlled the net, served and returned well. To simplify doubles, those are the skills needed. To be fair and honest, they seemed to lose a bit of concentration in the second set, but to NorthWood's credit, they made more of an effort to control the net. But Austin and Kyle still played well and won in two easy sets.

At #2 doubles, Russell Klassen and Nick Rebec didn't come out look aggressive. They came out looking flat. Against their young opponents, one with a broken arm and one wearing a glove, I suspect that Russell and Nick thought the match may be easier than what it was. It was a good reminder that in any varsity match, you still have to come out and play. After the first game, they did. They won the next 12 in a row. Nick is doing much better with floating balls at the net then he did at the beginning of the year, and I also like the progress with Russell's first serve.

#2 singles was a great match for Seth Krabill. He is one person right now who is very, very consistent in the way that he plays. It is all contingent on moving his feet, but once they get going (hopefully in the warmup) he is consistent in swinging his shots in with great spin and angle. His game reminds me so much of Jared Schwartzentruber from last year, which is really a great complement.

Mikey also showed some beautiful improvement from the beginning of the year. Mikey's forehand has improved so much over the course of the year, it is becoming a legitimate weapon. It was also good to see Mikey using his strengths, swinging the ball in and coming to the net. Much like #2 doubles, he struggled to find his range, then won 12 straight games.

#1 singles was the closest match of the night, and I think Ben knows why. After my inspired pre-match speech (that is tongue-in-cheek) Ben came out aggressive and swinging through the ball and most of all, confident. He took a 3-1 lead and then started to push the ball. He pushed serves into the net, he pushed forehands and backhands long, he pushed volleys wide. The whole time he looked like he was unsure of himself, his racket, his strategy. It was a frustrating time. Ben lost 5 games in a row to lose the first set.

In the second set, Ben and I talked about being aggressive and believing in his dominance as a number one player. I think this has been a struggle for Ben all year long, knowing that he has beat every one on our team but not sure how he matches up to the best players on the other teams. But in the 2nd set, Ben began to believe it. He began to hit the ball. He began to be aggressive. He began to enjoy the points, to drive the ball, to have fun with overheads... and he dominated. As he changed his style of play, senior opponent Miro Miro Arguijo began to fall apart. Coming off a tight victory over Goshen's Seth Koble on Thursday, Miro looked visibly tired and Ben's driving shots seemed to only fuel that. After his tentative first set, Ben played like the dominant #1 he can be and won 6-1, 6-0.

So we chalked up another victory and begin to prepare for a match against Warsaw. That should be a true test of our character and preparation. We will need to come out aggressive and with energy, much like Penn last year. We'll be ready to bring it!

Each match always has its moments of beauty, that is what makes tennis enjoyable to play. Not every point is good. In fact, some are terrible. Sometimes you don't move your feet and then push the ball long. For a whole set. But when you come alive, when you smack a winner or kill a volley, its beauty should hold you and motivate you to come back for more. The award I give here just depends on what points I see, and remember, or want to give special recognition to.

So Ben Mast, you win tonight, despite having the closest match of all. I liked the ability to adjust, but the point that gets the beautiful moment was in the second set, when Ben was playing like a dominant player. He played a few shots from the baseline, then crushed a forehand crosscourt and approached. Arguijo got to the shot and hit a weak forehand passing shot crosscourt. It was an awkward height to volley, falling weakly but close to the net. I was afraid Ben would reach and then hit a low volley into the net. But Ben took two quick steps (nice footwork) backwards, let the ball bounce, and then drilled a winner up the line. I couldn't help but get excited and yell the "c'mon!" that Ben didn't.

There were other beautiful points in the match. Austin and Kyle had a couple great points in the I-formation where Kyle served perfectly and Austin popped up for the kill. Mikey had one crosscourt forehand winner where he was deep in the forehand corner and whipped his shot deep and hard into the opposite forehand corner, past his opponent who was tentatively coming to the net. And many more... it was mostly a well-played match.

Now let's go get another one!

Scores

#1S - Ben Mast - 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 - Miro Arguijo (12)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-0, 6-0 - Corey Diener (10)
#3S - Mikey Kelly - 6-2, 6-0 - Ben Zercher (10)
#1D - Austin Loucks/Kyle Miller - 6-1, 6-3 - Jayson Linhart (9)/Tyler Rhoades (10)
#2D - Nick Rebec/Russell Klassen - 6-1, 6-0 - Shawn Stahley (10)/Brennan Angle (9)