BC v. LaLumiere

Our first tennis match ever against LaLumiere School in LaPorte. Lots of things were different. It was different to start at match on Central time. Different to drive west to get to the match. Different to play on four courts instead of five or ten. And we used a different lineup. So newness might have been a theme.

What I hope clicks for all of us after this match is the idea of newness. That every serve is the start of a new point. That every point is a chance to start new, with hope and confidence. That every new day is a gift of God.

Despite a theme of newness, some things remained the same. The varsity racked up their 12th win and the JV won their 3rd in a row. We like it when the winning stays the same, I'll have to admit.

But it wasn't easy all throughout the varsity lineup. However, Seth Krabill and #1 doubles made it look that way. Seth's opponent had been to 3 sets every match so far this season. The Laker coach said that perhaps we'd have to get comfortable for a while with his penchant for the dramatic third set. Seth made sure that didn't happen. With impressive placement on his aggressive shots, Seth rolled in this match, posting a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

And #1 doubles did the same. Matching seniors Kyle Miller and Russell Klassen for the first time, the new team took control of the net early and never let go. Their Laker opponents became discouraged early, by the quality of Kyle and Russell's play and by their own lack of quality points. In the quickest match of the evening, Kyle and Russell jogged off with the "double bagel."

Ben Mast looked like he was cruising to an easy two-set win as well. Against a very good opponent, Ben continued to look like he has all season: in control. He dictated the points, played aggressively, and forced Laker #1 Paul Uminski to play defense. Which Uminski did well. But Ben won the majority of the points despite, and took the first 6-1. But in the second, the tables turned a bit. Uminski began to be more aggressive and Ben lost an edge. Suddenly, Ben found himself trailing 4-5, and then 5-6 in the second. But turning it back up, he pulled even and took an impressive tiebreak to win in two and seal the match for the team.

Meanwhile, at #3 singles, Nate Brendle struggled to find his stroke. Laker sophomore Benz Culbertson was undefeated on the season, and kept Nate off balance with a variety of serves and paces. But Nate was also fighting a mental battle to stay positive.

And so was #2 doubles. Blake Shetler and Evan Grimes played a first set full of mistakes and frustration. Little communication or confidence flowed between the two juniors. In the midst of these frustrations, both #2 doubles and Nate lost their first sets 3-6.

But, then, we battled. Then we found some mental strength. Then we became positive, energetic, confident. Then our shots became more smooth, more consistent, more accurate. Then we won. At #2 doubles, it came easily. Game after game Evan and Blake found their rhythm. Overheads, volleys, lobs, groundstrokes... they looked like the dominant #2 doubles team we've come to expect. And 6-2, 6-1 later, they were winners.

As I told Nate last night, when he is positive, focused, and plays with purpose, his tennis game becomes the most beautiful on the whole team to watch. And in the second and third sets, his match was beautiful (for the most part). He began to control the court and really push Culbertson around the court. To Culbertson's credit, he made the match close by running everything down. But in the end, it was too much running. Nate took the match, and the varsity had a sweep.

In the JV matches, their was a sweep as well. A sweep of the singles. Matt Ebersole, Parth Patel and Wade Troyer all won their singles matches to give us a 3-0 lead in the JV match. Wade continues to have one of the best records on the JV, and it is all because he has become very consistent. Parth and Matt both won their matches easily, Parth also using consistency and Matt using aggression and power.

In the doubles, Josh Helmuth and Abe Thorne played well against a doubles team who had seen some varsity action. In the end it was the little mistakes of finishing points that cost them the match. The same could be said for the doubles pairing of Joel Gerig and Justin Zehr. Little mistakes became big as errors kept them from coming out with a win.

So the JV match came down to one position, #2 doubles JV. Ryan Minter and Himal King were playing the Laker coach's son, Matt Kleinege and his partner, Dustin Price. Ryan and Himal looked tentative at the beginning of the match, and started with a lot of errors. However, by the end of the match they turned it around. Watching Price struggle with his serve in the last game, Himal and Ryan clinched the JV's third straight victory.

As we left, I felt quite grateful to play LaLumiere this year. It taught me, and hopefully the whole team, a lot about attitude. What mental state do we need to be in to play this game well? A state that is grateful for every new point, prepared for every new challenge, focused for every new day.

Thanks for those of you who made the drive, it was good to see parents out their as well!

Varsity
#1S - Ben Mast - 6-1, 7-6 (2) - Paul Uminski (11)
#2S - Seth Krabill - 6-0, 6-0 - Parker Rellinger (11)
#3S - Nate Brendle - 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 - Benz Culbertson (10)
#1D - Kyle Miller/Russell Klassen - 6-0, 6-0 - Hans Guntert (12)/Luke Tang (10)
#2D - Blake Shetler/Evan Grimes - 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 - Mario Muralles (11)/John Lake (11)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Matt Ebersole - 6-2 - Pascal Arteaga (10)
#2SJV - Parth Patel - 6-1 - Dereck Luo (12)
#3SJV - Wade Troyer - 6-1 - Jimmy Caplice (11)
#1DJV - Josh Helmuth/Abe Thorne - 2-6 - Gavin O'Brien (10)/Alex Friedman (10)
#2DJV - Ryan Minter/Himal King - 6-4 - Matt Kleinege (11)/Dustin Price (10)
#3DJV - Joel Gerig/Justin Zehr - 3-6 - Tommy Yemc (9)/Trevor Wennekes (11)