Prayers from Fairfield

Match Description
Last duel match of the season, and we played well. It felt good to watch people play tonight, it felt like the things we've been working on all season have sunk in. It felt like each of the guys listened and learned. It felt like we had desire and fight.

And yet it feels like we have a little bit more to do...

At #1 singles, Byeong again managed his match well. Despite some great challenges from his fellow junior, Byeong was able to come up with the right shots at the right time. That's been a solid quality of Byeong's all year long. And Ethan played to his strengths as well, striking the ball with conviction, deep into the court and finding the finishing shot more times than not. At #3 singles, Dustin played a much more even and gritty game, playing with smooth swings and great effort. He just ran into an opponent who had the answers today.

At doubles, #1's started out with a strong 3-0 start. Then a little doubt crept in, and they lost 6 of the next seven to lose the first set. However, a strong mental restart happened at the beginning of the second set, and Brandon and Simon went on a streak of their own. They won the next 12 games, to finish it out 6-0, 6-0. Hopefully, this mindset shift also continues it's streak for them.

#2 doubles played an amazing match. Jackson and Lane both played to their strengths in the match. Jackson was committed to amazing shots from the baseline and Lane was simple in his attacking. It was good to see them play so well. Unfortunately, both sets ended up in tiebreaks, both of which we lost 6-8. But it was a match with so many positives!

The JV played awesome as well. Daniel Robles had some of the best forehands I've ever seen from him and took instruction really well during the match to keep himself alive in a difficult match. Jonathon Yousey used quick hands, rapidly improving strokes and serves, and net attacking to beat his opponent 8-2. Liam Bradford had great hands, and beautiful strokes - keeping the ball in play and frustrating his opponent. Tommy fought back from a 5-0 deficit to make the score very respectable, as he started to move better and place his shots. Paul and Braydon both showed off some of their new skills against a talented and powerful #1 doubles JV team from Fairfield. Braydon's forehand is getting much better and Paul's net game remained strong. Philip and Jonah played with great effort and passion, getting a win at #3 doubles to round out our night.

It was a fun night, the way tennis is supposed to be!

Prayers

for the team
Lord, as we wind up our season in the next week, help us to know Your love. There is nothing that will give us joy and peace like You. Help us think upon the lovely and excellent things that have occurred this season, and live with gratitude. You have called to us. You have walked with us. Help us to turn to You with joy.

Moment of Beauty
The way that Simon and Brandon turned their match around was beautiful. Simple serves, simple strokes, and simple volleys. My favorite moment of the match was simple. Brandon served the ball to the backhand of the Fairfield returner and Simon stepped over to cut off the crosscourt return with a volley that split the Fairfield players.

Another beautiful moment was one that I didn't even see. Late in his match, Byeong let out a "C'mon!" He completed it with a fist pump. We've been talking about giving ourselves energy, and Byeong was able to do just that.

And another moment of beauty came in Tommy's match. It was a great point where Tommy used his strengths to control a point. First was a forehand crosscourt, then a backhand crosscourt, then another forehand crosscourt, and finished off with a short angled backhand crosscourt that drove his opponent into the fence. It was beautifully controlled!

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-3,  6-1 - Isaac Miller (11)
#2S - Ethan Lapp - 6-2, 7-5 - Clayton Bender (11)
#3S - Dustin Miller - 3-6, 1-6 - Dylan Kaufman (10)
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 - Joel Kropf (11)/Aaron Streit (9)
#2D - Jackson King/Lane Miller - 6-7 (6), 6-7 (6) - Aaron Miller (12)/Aaron Skibbe (11)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Daniel Robles - 2-8 - Jesse Grimm (11)
#2SJV - Jonathon Yousey - 8-2 - Joey Gibson (11)
#3SJV - Liam Bradford - 8-2 - Jarin Bontrager (10)
#4SJV - Tommy Nguyen - 4-8 - Tucker Miller (10)
#1DJV - Paul Krabill/Braydon Harshberger - 1-8 - Andrew Mamore (10)/Tanner Nunemaker (9)
#2DJV - Jonah Farran/Philip Krabill - 0-8 - Eric Gaby (9)/Ben Toole (9)
#3DJV - Jonah Farran/Philip Krabill - 8-6 - Jediah Corbin (10)/Carson Yoder (9)