Bethany Christian vs. Prairie Heights

For the second night in a row, the Bruins varsity tennis team walked away with a 5-0 victory. But tonight, the JV joined in and got themselves a 3-0 win as well.

The varsity match did not have many close matches. Seth Krabill at #2 singles represented the closest match of the night, and he won 6-2, 6-1. Seth's opponent, senior Travis Northup, had very good groundstrokes and kept the rallies going. However, Seth was able to turn the screws and increase the pressure by hitting through approach shots and attacking the net. In the first few games, Seth had trouble finding his control. When he did, he had a nice long match that he controlled for the most part.

Other matches didn't last as long, in total or in the individual rallies. Mikey Kelly handled sophomore Donald Cook in 6-0, 6-0 fashion. For Mikey, this was the fourth match in a row that he did not allow a game to be won. He has defeated Mishawaka, Fremont, Laville, and Prairie Heights with 6-0, 6-0 scoreline. That's an impressive streak, but we are hoping Mikey will be one of the best #3 singles players around the area.

Ben Mast got off to a similar slow start as he did last night versus Laville. However, when he kicked it into gear and started moving up to the ball and then moving his opponent, senior Brandon Buechley back and forth, well... then he rolled to the last 9 games in a row again.

At #1 doubles, Kyle and Austin faced a pair of seniors, Tim Morris and Laine Warnock. They have begun to experiment with new doubles tactics and tried a couple of games in the I-formation. It is good to see us becoming comfortable in our positions and pushing ourselves to perform better. We will need to continue to improve to compete at the level we are hoping for. Every day we play needs to point us that way, and Kyle and Austin seem to have bought into that idea.

#2 doubles took their second easy win in a row as well. Nick Rebec and Russell Klassen have been making significant strides as doubles players. Nick is learning to attack the net, and Russell is learning the value of angles. Some of Russell's serves have been ridiculous the past several days, and these are strengths that we hope to improve on.

The JV got back to action last night as well. Blake Shetler, Matt Ebersole, and Claude Stickler all played singles matches against the Panthers. Blake is beginning to develop a lot more consistency, which will be an important asset as we head into next season especially. Against players who cannot rally, Blake has been getting easy victories. The trend continued tonight as he won 8-1. Matt continues to have beautiful strokes, and thus overpowers many JV opponents. Matt needs to work on hitting angles and moving his opponent to play at a varsity level. Claude played a very solid match. He still struggles with first serves, but Claude's groundstrokes were looking better than ever.

Varsity: I love to see attacking tennis. I love to see good form. I believe that when you are aggressive (smaggressive) and do things properly (good form) that lady luck will smile on you. In the #1 singles match last night, Ben Mast played a sweet attacking point and approached after hitting to his opponent's backhand. The ball dipped just over the net and Ben bent his knees (!), then dropped his head and the racket head down to meet the low ball. He barely dropped the ball over the net and in the corner of the court for a beautiful drop-shot. He wasn't intending that (I don't think) but was instead just trying to meet the ball. But his attack and form were rewarded.

Also, Mikey Kelly, in case you didn't read this above, has won four matches in a row with 6-0, 6-0 scorelines. There is a focus and dealing with pressure needed to do that, so that's why 6-0, 6-0's are beautiful.

JV: Claude Stickler's match was just fun to watch last night. So many good groundstrokes came from Claude that it is hard to pick just one point. But I love his increasing consistency and the fact that he tries to move his opponent. Beautiful match Claude!

Scores

Varsity:
#1S - Ben Mast - 6-2, 6-0 - Brandon Buechley (12)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-2, 6-1 - Travis Northup (12)
#3S - Mikey Kelly - 6-0, 6-0 - Donald Cook (10)
#1D - Austin Loucks/Kyle Miller - 6-0, 6-1 - Tim Morris (12)/Laine Warnock (12)
#2D - Nick Rebec/Russell Klassen - 6-1, 6-0 - Danny Hamm (11)/Tyler Carbone (10)

Junior Varsity:
#1S - Blake Shetler - 8-1 - Torin Kellett (11)
#2S - Matt Ebersole - 6-0 - Brad Hughes (11)
#3S - Claude Stickler - 6-0 - Brad Hughes