BC at Concord Invite

Another chance at history for the Bruins, and this time it was a bright and beautiful day. The morning was crisp, but the sun came out and burned up the tennis courts. We were hoping we could do the same thing.

We started first with Rochester. Rochester was the only team entering the tournament with a losing record, but two of those matches were 2-3 losses they should have won. The Rhinos put their strength in the doubles, where 3 of their 4 seniors played for this match. Fortunate for us, we started off quickly at almost every position. Especially the singles. In a matter of 20 minutes each singles player had polished off the first set.

In one of the more memorable points, Nate Brendle hit a big first serve at #3 singles. His opponent, a freshman, Brandt Eytcheson, who has not played more than 3 weeks of tennis, reached and popped the ball sky high. Nate ran underneath it and crushed it back towards Eytcheson. Overwhelmed by the power, he put his hands up in front of his face to deflect the ball away. It was an early moment of the power and aggressiveness that our team displayed all day.

And it continued in the doubles matches. Taking on a talented and experienced Rhino squad, Kyle and Blake quickly took care of business. Forcing many errors and serving extremely well, they breezed through the match 6-1, 6-1. Little did we know that was setting an example for the day. At #2 doubles, Russell Klassen and Evan Grimes found themselves in a bit closer match, but they too were able to force errors and pick their game up at the right time. They were playing against senior Max Hsu, who two years ago had played #1 singles for the Rhinos! But 6-3, 6-2 later, the match was done and the Bruins were 1-0 on the day.
#1S - Ben Mast - 6-2, 6-0 - Aaron Stuart (11)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-0, 6-0 - Jacob Schroder (12)
#3S - Nate Brendle - 6-0, 6-1 - Brandt Eutcheson (9)
#1D - Kyle Miller/Blake Shetler - 6-1, 6-1 - Cody Hershberger (12)/Josh Calhoun (12)
#2D - Russell Klassen/Evan Grimes - 6-3, 6-2 - Max Hsu (12)/Taylor Beck (11)

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In the next round, the Jimtown Jimmies were before us. Having graduated ever player from their Sectional championship team, they were certainly more inexperienced than the Rhinos. They were coming off a 1-4 loss to Concord in the first round where they had made both doubles positions very tight.

We didn't let #1 doubles get tight in this match. From the beginning point to the last, where Matt Ebersole hit an authoritative overhead that hit one of the Jimmies players, we were in control of the the match. It was good to see Matt and Kyle play with such confidence together, built from a nice win over Fremont on Thursday.

The singles matches were much the same as the first match. Seth dropped a game, but still cruised over Max Polluck. Ben looked like he was in control the whole time in his match. Against Rochester, Ben had streaked to 11 straight games to close the match. In this match, he had his streak broken once in each set. From Nate Brendle, finding consistency was the order, but he still simply overwhelmed sophomore Chris Raderstorf with pace when he found the court.

The only close match turned out to be #2 doubles, where Evan Grimes and Blake Shetler continued to prepare for Sectional. After an inconsistent start saw them down 5-4 in the first set, the Bruins won 9 of the next 11 games. Much more consistent serving and net attack saw them stop giving free points and start winning games. Their victory sealed another 5-0 for the Bruins.
#1S - Ben Mast - 6-1, 6-1 - Brett Aller (10)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-1, 6-0 - Max Polluck (12)
#3S - Nate Brendle - 6-1, 6-1 - Chris Raderstorf (10)
#1D - Kyle Miller/Matt Ebersole - 6-1, 6-1 - Cole Peterson (10)/Jake Ward (10)
#2D - Blake Shetler/Evan Grimes - 7-5, 6-2 - Augie Farwig (10)/Austin Ward (10)

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Last match of the day, we faced Concord. We were 0-10 lifetime against Concord, all at this tournament, I think. But today we had a chance. Concord had beaten both Rochester and Jimtown as well, so this match was for history and for a tournament title.

And boy, did we play well.

#1 doubles stormed out of the gates. Kyle Miller and Matt Ebersole played a perfect combination of placed crosscourts and net attack to take an early lead on the Minutemen. The early lead turned to 3-0, then to 5-0, then the first set was done. Kyle and Matt were being ruthlessly efficient at the net, but forcing the Concord players into lots of errors. Russell Klassen and Blake Shetler were copying the formula at #2 doubles. Soon, both doubles spots had spotless 6-0 first sets. In the second sets, the smaggressive tennis continued, and Russell hit lines and opponents with the ball. Kyle and Matt stayed energetic and focused and finished off their match as well. 2-0 for the two doubles positions.

At singles, Seth started very well. Opponent Sean Purcell had played #1 singles at Elkhart Central last year, making him the second opponent Seth has faced who played #1 last year. And for the second time, he emerged triumphant. In the first set, Purcell struggled with consistency. In the second, he found his stroke. Time and time again he forced Seth deep in the court, but time and time again Seth found an answer. Leading 5-3, Seth had three match points to close out the match. He played a bit tentative and Purcell did not, forcing another game. Again, Seth had two chances to seal the match, and on the second, Purcell hit a long serve to double fault the match.

And we had won the tournament!

Two positions were left on the court. Ben Mast struggling against an All-District talent in Jason Denton, and Nate Brendle battling fellow sophomore Matt Kotva at #3 singles. Ben and Denton traded games back and forth, back and forth in the first set. Each player refused to reveal a weakness, and Ben attacked well at times while Denton crushed angles at others. Ben fell short in the set 5-7. In the second set, Ben simply gave away too many unforced errors, and these points of opportunity were taken advantage of. Denton began to pick up his play and hit for winners, and Ben fell in the second set as well.

Nate came out firing in his #3 singles match, but firing too long. In the first set, he kept it close with a string of powerful winners. But he also kept it close with self-frustrating unforced errors. After losing the first, he found his game. He began to play points. Backhands crosscourt, set up for approach shots, won points at the net sometimes. His play picked up right when it needed to. Kotva struggled with a sore back, and Nate took advantage, taking the second set 6-3.

Which pushed the final match to a tiebreaker. Nate played confidently to take a 9-5 in the 10-point third set "Super Tiebreak." But then Nate tightened up a bit. With four matches points, he pushed some forehands and a couple of serves long. The match closed back to 9-9, and then Kotva took a 10-9 lead. But Nate battled. He tied it at 10 and then took a lead. Lost the point and then took another lead. Finally at 12-12, Nate constructed the moment of beauty as he stroked the ball deep to Kotva's backhand, hit a backhand volley cross court to make Kotva run, then finished the point with a powerful overhead. On the next point, Nate's serve went in and Kotva's return went out. Nate sealed a 4-1 Bruin win with a 14-12 tiebreak.

I was so proud of our team as I watched them hold our trophy! We have worked hard all offseason and have tried to continue that through the season practices. We have lots of talent this year. To see it blessed with this success is rewarding for me. I strive to keep our eyes on improvement, both in our tennis and in our spiritual maturity. In little ways, I see their maturity grow every day. To see it in the tennis part is also a blessing.

And the holding up the trophy is sweet! Singing "Sarasponda" is sweet! Nothing better than a team in song around a wonderful accomplishment.

As I said on the bus, before we began, "This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!"
#1S - Ben Mast - 5-7, 2-6 - Jason Denton (11)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-1, 6-4 - Sean Purcell (11)
#3S - Nate Brendle - 4-6, 6-3, (14-12) - Matt Kotva (10)
#1D - Kyle Miller/Matt Ebersole - 6-0, 6-2 - T Cunningham (10)/Tony Fenech (9)
#2D - Russell Klassen/Blake Shetler - 6-0, 6-1 - Bronson DuMont (11)/Matt Ciesielski (11)

FINAL RESULTS:

BETHANY CHRISTIAN - CHAMPIONS!!!
Concord - 2nd
Jimtown - 3rd
Rochester - 4th