A match that I don't want to say much about because it made me sad. This season, our team has had difficulty performing at our highest level when playing opponents who are as good or better than us. To me as a coach, these are the most exciting matches. To me as a high school player, these matches were nerve-wracking. As a college player, I learned that these matches are the most fun!
To be a successful team, we cannot let the score be our focus. Our focus has to be simple: How do I want to play this next point with sheer and savage joy?
How do I want to play this next point with sheer and savage joy?
Tonight, we struggled with this (except at #1 singles :-) As a result, we looked tight and tentative. They way we looked was like we weren't really ready to fight for the win. And yet, I learned last year from Byeong that sometimes when we look like we aren't trying, it's because we are actually trying way too hard. We're way too focused on winning and losing, rather than relaxing and playing.
In all of our close matches, we started out playing and ended up worrying. As we move forward, we'll change the focus. We'll play better tennis by focusing on who we are as a team: Every breath in is gratitude, every breath out we get rid of our fear. Let's pick ourselves up with sheer and savage joy!
Prayers
for the team
We need joy, God, and we need it in more than just our tennis. We are a team of strivers. But need to be a team of receivers. The more we push to do it ourselves, the more worries we are producing for ourselves. You are the God of joy and peace! Let us rest in that and in Your love. Fill our hearts with joy!
All of Byeong's match was beautiful. He's really starting to understand what it takes to win matches. He played most of his match without ever feeling much pressure. And I loved his volleys. My favorite point of the match was in Ethan's match, where Ethan got to the net and volleyed back and forth across the court probably 4-5 times before finally being able to put a ball away with an overhead. His stick-to-it-iveness in the point was inspiring, and an example of the aggression he played with in the first set. So there's two of many moments of beauty.
Let me take this spot to point that out - within a match where we didn't play particularly well, we still had so many points where we did. Simon's net putaways were excellent, Brandon's cross court forehands, Jackson's cross court forehands, Lane's serves, Dustin's overheads... we could go on through the JV too. Enjoy those moments of beauty, let them bring you enjoyment!
Scores
Varsity
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-0, 6-1 - Andrew Salmon (11)
#2S - Ethan Lapp - 5-7, 2-6 - Matt Stutzman (12)
#3S - Dustin Miller - 1-6, 0-6 - Riley Norris (12)
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 6-7 (6), 1-6 - Alex Boyer (12)/Adam DeShone (12)
#2D - Jackson King/Lane Miller - 3-6, 4-6 - Christian Lankford (12)/Curtis Hill (12)
Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Daniel Robles - 0-8 - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes (10)
#2SJV - Jonathon Yousey - 6-8 - Michael Beveridge (10)
#3SJV - Jonah Farran - 1-8 - Philip Stutzman (9)
#4SJV - Braydon Harshberger - 1-8 - Keith Hartzler
#1DJV - Liam Bradford/Tommy Nguyen - 1-8 - Gave Lindholm (12)/Ben Oakley (12)
#2DJV - Paul Krabill/Philip Krabill - 4-8 - Jared Reid (10)/Hunter Sauserman (11)
#3DJV - Jonathon Yousey/Daniel Robles won 6-0
#4DJV - Liam Bradford/Tommy Nguyen lost 2-6
#5DJV - Paul Krabill/Philip Krabill lost 4-6
#6DJV - Braydon Harshberger/Jonah Farran won 6-2
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