BC JV at Wawasee JV Invite

More matches for JV players. It's always a good thing. Junior varsity is really about one thing: improvement. Well, and fun. There's no pressure, no Sectional to worry about, just getting better for your shot at those things. And having fun while you do so.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've really begun to see the improvement of our JV. With the match where they played Laville's varsity, many members of the JV have begun to gain confidence. Also, we've had the addition of sophomore Andrew Snyder to our squad, and his strong game has added depth to the lineup and a challenge to compete with in practice.

This invitational was a chance to accomplish both goals of a JV, to improve and have a lot of fun. The format was such that each position would get to play 3 times, and even our extra players could get in a match. The competition was excellent, which gives us a chance to push ourselves and learn from our successes and mistakes. And with the whole JV together, getting the chance to cheer one another on, it was fun.

Andrew Snyder quickly proved his value to the BC JV. Playing #1 singles for the JV, he drew Northridge in the first round of the tourney. Early in the season, we had lost 4 singles matches with Northridge, only winning one game total. This time, Andrew defeated the Raiders #1, 9-7. He advanced to the second round but lost to Warsaw. However, in the 3rd place match he won again. Against the excellent competition at this tournament, a 3rd place finish bodes well. Last year, Blake Shetler finished 2nd at #1 singles in this tournament, and this year he boasts a record with only 1 loss (13-1). Maybe that's what the future holds for Andrew?

Parth Patel played #2 singles, and had the worst possible draw. All of the top teams in his division were drawn into his half of the draw. After falling to the eventual champion in the 1st round, Parth then played Northridge in the back draw. Early in August, Parth had lost to Northridge's #4 singles played 1-8. In this match, against their #2, Parth took a 3-0 lead. In the end, he lost 6-8. But what an improvement that was! Parth then won the 7th place match.

At #3 singles, Wade Troyer took a big lead against Goshen. Up 6-1, his opponent suddenly started to find the court where he had been making errors before. He came back to force a tiebreak which Wade lost 7-3. Wade went on to finish 7th as well.

In the doubles, Abe Thorne and Josh Helmuth followed a similar script to Wade's. They took a 6-3 lead in their first match, but then couldn't find the winning combination. They lost that first round match but managed to finish 6th.

In the #2 doubles draw, Ryan Minter and Himal King drew the eventual champions in the first round as well. After losing that match, they struggled to play well the rest of the day.

In the end, the rains came. Joel Gerig had won an extra match, and Justin Zehr was winning his. But the overall impact of the day was clear. We have improved, and we need to keep going. If our team is to consistently compete in the area, continued improvement is needed. But we've shown we can learn.

Results

#1SJV - Andrew Snyder - 3rd
#2SJV - Parth Patel - 7th
#3SJV - Wade Troyer - 7th
#1DJV - Abe Thorne/Josh Helmuth - 6th
#2DJV - Ryan Minter/Himal King - 7th