Big Words: Will

"Our Father, in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debtors,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one."

What's the Will of God?

"God’s purpose in creation and redemption is to have a family of children conformed to the image of his Son." - John Piper

Many of us, when we think about the will of God have a vague idea of what this means. We think of specifics that God might want us to do - what college should I go to, what career does God want me to pick, or what sport does God want me to play? I think that type of thinking sometimes misses the point. 

What I mean by that is that it may be true that God wants a specific thing for us: a job, school or something like that. But what is always true is that God always wants us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

The quote above says this really well - God want a family that is being conformed to be more like Jesus.

It's Not a Fight

So many times, I grew up thinking of the will of God as a fight with my own will. And so I didn't pursue God's will. 

Here was my thinking, just an example... I really like Courtney. I wonder if God's will is for me to be dating Courtney? What if it's not? What if God wants me to dump Courtney? Well, I don't want to do that! I think I'll just hope that's not God's will...

Beyond sounding a little bit silly, there's so much wrong with that line of thinking. First of all, I was so scared of what God's will might be I never actually talked to God about it. I never really searched to see what God's will was, either in prayer or with others.

But more importantly, I missed the chance to actually do God's will, which was never really against me. I imagined that it was a fight, between my will and God's will. But IT'S NOT A FIGHT...

IT'S A RELATIONSHIP.

Relationships are all about learning how to join your will to another's. And so, when we pray "Your will be done" we can think about that as a question. Or a set of questions leading us into relationship with God.

What Question Should We Be Asking

Well, here are two great questions to start with:

          1. Can what I want help conform me and others to the image of Christ?

          2. How can my circumstances help conform me to the image of Christ?

For the first question, if the answer is no, then we'd be best served to drop whatever we're doing. If what we want is going to hurt others in some way, or if it is going to lead away from peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. then we'd be acting in our own best interest to not do it.

But if the answer is "I think so..." to the first question, then the second question becomes a great prayer. Take that prayer to God. Talk about it with your community of faith. As you do, you'll find you become more like Christ.

So, Tennis...

Certainly tennis has the potential to help us become more like Christ. There are situations, frustrations, and more that can give us opportunities to respond with love, joy, and peace. So, since the answer to the first question is yes, then let's spin the second question in some interesting directions.

- How can your that forehand that you consistently spin into the net help you become like Christ?

- How can a challenge match that you've won help you become more like Christ?

- How can an overhead smash into your opponent's shin help you become more like Christ?

- How can a lost 40-love lead help you become more like Christ?

- How can a frustrated and cursing opponent help you become more like Christ?

- How can a long, hot, humidity-filled practice help you become more like Christ?

A Prayer

Our Father, you are good and you bless us in all circumstances. You allow us to partner with you to find ways of hope, joy and love. We ask You to form us, to take each disappointment and each highlight and give us the perspective of Your love.  We ask that as that happens, we will have the disposition of Christ more and more, and become a servant to the world. Thank You. In Jesus name, amen.

Moment of Beauty: Mishawaka Marian

Moment of Beauty #1: Dustin Miller
Okay, this was one of the best moments of beauty all season long. Dustin and Lane got rolling in the third set against the Knights, but the most awesome point of the match was Dustin's overhead.

From the baseline.

From of his opponent's overhead.

Yep, it was so epic it deserved it's own paragraphs. Dustin and Lane were doing a great job trying to attack the net before the Knights were able to get there, but on this point, the Knights took the net before us. They forced Dustin back with a deep ball, and his response was a great low attacking forehand. Then the Knights volleyed it deep and Dustin put up a lob over the right side of the net. The Knight player on that side shuffled two steps and pounded an overhead down, just over the tape and powerfully into the ground. It bounced up high in the air, threatening to go over Dustin's head but Dustin quickly stepped back two steps and reached up for his own overhead. Which he laced right through the two Marian players at the net. It landed inside the baseline in the middle of the court, a no doubt winner!

Moment of Beauty #2: Jackson King
Playing against an opponent who didn't hit the ball very hard, Jackson had plenty of opportunities to use his strength, his forehand groundstroke. And Jackson used that all over the court today to put pressure on his opponent and force errors. My favorite example was a point in the middle of the match, just a regular old point but it did exactly what it needed to. First, Jackson returned the ball through the middle of the court, forcing his opponent back. Then he sent the next forehand with little speed or spin but down the line to his opponent's backhand. The return came back down that line, floating high and landing inside the service line. Jackson skipped up to it and came over the top, sending a spinning ball crosscourt and just inside the sideline. Though his opponent sprinted for it, he was too late and the ball ended up a cleanly and safely hit winner. It was a beautiful set up and a beautiful way of Jackson using his strength.

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Jimtown 5, Washington 0
1. Holden Price beat Reese Gallup, 6-0, 6-0

2. Ben Clarke beat Nehemiah Watts, 6-0, 6-0

3. Austin Pearison won by forfeit.
1. Matt DeCloedt-Andrew Emeigh beat Denny Gua-Jacob Far, 6-0, 6-0

2. Connor Corl-Bill Pawlak beat Tristan Moore-Miguel Garza, 6-0, 6-0.

Goshen 4, Warsaw 1

1. Colton Lind (W) beat Jacob Grewe, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

2. Hugh Birky (G) beat Andrew Gauger, 6-1, 7-5

3. Simon Myers (G) beat David Homme, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
1. Logan Troyer-Bobby Sessa (G) beat Justin Stout-Ryan Wettschurack, 7-5, 6-4

2. Diego Torres-Nathanael Wertz (G) beat Hayden Steger-Spender Britton, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Fairfield 4, Concord 1
1. Joel Mast (F) def. Will Boyer 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. 

2. Clayton Bender (F) def. Alex Serwatka 6-3, 6-4. 

3. Isaac Miller (F) def. Nate Slabach 7-6 (5), 6-2.
1. Jesse Grimm/Dylan Kaufman (F) def. Nathan Hermon/Travis Hermon 7-6 (3), 6-0.

2. Jake Lovette/Freddy Buckingham (C) def. Joel Kropf/Aaron Streit 6-0, 6-0.

SEASON OPPONENTS
Triton 5, Laville 0
1. Mace Eads beat Jordan Karczewski, 6-0, 6-0

2. Aaron Stichter beat Shawn Herne, 6-0, 6-1 

3. Carter Kuntz beat Doug Cashen, 6-0, 6-0.
1. Keygan Mosier-Chase Butler beat Connor Carlisle-Sam Contreras, 6-2, 6-4 

2. Grant Eib-Tyler Heckaman beat Dan Clingaman-Zach Rutherford, 6-0, 6-1.

Mishawaka Marian 5, John Glenn 0

1. Cam Rafinski beat Michael Machnic, 6-2, 6-1

2. Evan Kovatch beat Kevin Schmalzried, 6-1, 6-0

3. Dustin Greer beat Eric Blakenmyer, 6-0, 6-0.
1. Dominik Rafinski-Josh Busson beat Louis Delinski-Gabe Weiss, 6-3, 6-3

2. Michael Deren-Kenny Klinuh beat Trace Jones-Alex Ross, 6-3, 6-2.

Northridge 4, Elkhart Memorial 1

1. James Dugle (N) beat Brandon Bailey, 6-0, 6-0 

2. Simon Greuengood (N) beat Dylan Lundgren, 6-1, 6-0

3. Gabe Rodino (N) beat Chris Troyer, 6-2, 6-0.
1. Justin Walter-Brett Wilson (EM) beat Luke Wogoman-Logan Corns, 7-5, 6-2

2. Eric Firstenberger-Drew Wheatley (N) beat Tryston Swartz-Mike Troyer, 6-1, 6-1.

Penn 5, Elkhart Central 0

1. Mason Lee beat Andrew Salmon, 6-0, 6-3 

2. Cole Pollyea beat Michael Beveridge, 6-4, 6-2

3. Peter Rutkowski beat Phillip Stutzman, 6-0, 6-4.
1. Owen Kleppe-Jack Spalding beat Jared Reid-Hunter Sauserman, 6-4, 6-2

2. Will Gruber-Scout Spalding beat Dave Frieden-Adam Moon, 6-1, 6-2.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Western 5, Tipton 0
1. Pranav Haran won
2. Tate Lockwood won
3. Berkely Seekri won
1. John Sullivan/Chad Gifford won
2. Ashton Guyer/Mason Anderson won

SB St. Joseph's 5, Mishawka 0
1. Thomas Preis beat Kyler Garrett, 6-0, 6-0 

2. Leo Romanetz beat Kyle Bolinger, 6-0, 6-0

3. Saint Joseph won by forfeit.

1. Brett Loitz-Cole Matthews beat Brandon Vandall-James Buchmann, 6-0, 6-0

2. Saint Joseph won by forfeit.

Crown Point 4, Merrillville 1

1. Bryce Bonin (CP) d. Ayron Williams 6-0, 6-0

2. Justin Jackson (M) d. Tommy Pawlowski 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

3. Layton Noerenberg (CP) d. Keith Rochefort 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (7-5).
1. Zack Jones-Daniyaal Rasheed (CP) d. Marcus Miller-J. Pharris 2-6, 6-2, 7-5

2. Ethan Scott-Jacob Smith (CP) d. Deion Charleston-Josh Raddatz 6-2, 6-2.

Highland 5, Griffith 0 

1. Matthew Cotner (H) d. Ryan Dudlicek 6-0, 6-0

2. Meet Patel (H) d. Tyler Smith 6-0, 6-2

3. Chris Peters (H) d. Charles Murphy 6-0, 6-0.
1. Mason Gluth-Alex Lopez (H) d. Curtis Carter-Stephan Murphy 6-0, 6-0

2. Fred Kepler-Harrison Bronisz (H) won by default.

Lake Central 4, Portage 1

1. Andrew Walsh (LC) d. Kodie Sorenson 6-0, 6-0

2. Matt Matakovic (LC) d. Zack Gertzen 2-6, 6-2, 6-4

3. Steven Tuesiak (LC) d. Mikey Ramos 6-1, 6-2.
1. Ronnie Wilkins-Mikey Sobczak (P) d. Doug Devries-Spero Bread 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

2. Keith Crawford-Rick Larsen (LC) won 6-2, 6-0.

Taylor 2, Madison-Grant 1

1. Bailey Owens led 6-3, 3-4

2. Wynn Takacs won

3. Colten Kimbler won

1. Preston Pearce/Peyton Tracy had split sets

2. Taylor #2 lost

Alexandria 4, Eastern 0

DISTRICT RANKED TEAMS

Big Words from Mishawaka Marian

"STRENGTH"

Yesterday, during the school day, an 18 year old tennis player named Francis Tiafoe took the first two sets off of John Isner, the 20th ranked player in the world, at the US Open. I was watching bits of the match as I passed by my computer and then after the final bell rang I watch Tiafoe fall in the third set tiebreaker. But one thing that impressed me was how, as an 18 year old, Tiafoe kept playing with confidence in his strength (which was a rocketing forehand). Crafting points to take advantage of his strength ended up with a ton of highlights.

At lunch yesterday, I watched Taylor Townsend, a young American woman play against Caroline Wozniacki. She played really well, taking the former world no. 1 to three sets, but under pressure she relied on trick shots - drop shots and insane angles - to try to win points instead of playing to her normal, simple strength. The attempts ended in errors or set up winners for her opponent instead. The final set didn't contain a lot of highlights for Townsend, despite the crowds who filled the stadium to root for her.

And thus, a really easy formula appeared for playing points in pressure situations.

1. Play simply.

2. Play to your strength.

After watching all that tennis, I walked out to the courts to see how we'd do applying this "formula." As it turns out, we did it very well.

Following a somewhat frustrating week, Byeong looked like his old self today. He was controlled but swinging through shots, moving his opponent from side to side. At one point, the Marian player said out loud, "He keeps moving me side to side!" I was excited at that point because I knew Byeong was playing to his strengths. 

As did Lucas at #3S. He struck balls consistently and aggressively when he was in position. He pushed the ball deep and made his opponent do a lot of work. He played some of the best tennis that I've seen from him this season, and was able to come away with a victory.

At #2S, Jonathon Yousey fought hard. He played the longest singles match of the day, rivaling the third set at #1D in length. And yet, when it would come to deuce, when it would come to his ad, he didn't quite have the finishing shot. That's because I'm not sure that Jonathon knows what his strength is yet, and so he had difficulty playing to it. Which is why we get to practice :-)

The best varsity examples of playing simple and playing to your strength though, came from the doubles matches. There is a tendency in doubles to try to play hero shots. Its a more aggressive game in general than singles, because of taking the net and the number of putaways that happen. But when we are playing are best we are active with our feet, preparing early for shots, making the easy ball, attacking the net and volleying through the middle.

In our worst moments we didn't do this. At #2D, in the first set, Dustin and Lane saw far too many errors happen because they stood a foot in front of the service line rather than at the net. But in the second set, they began to drill the ball in and attack that net. Dustin has strong groundstrokes, and when he combines those groundstrokes with quick feet, preparation and smart placement, he came dominate from the baseline. In the first set he stood flat footed and then tried to go for big shots. In the second and third he moved in and thought about placement. Lane covered the center of the net and the backhand returns. And in playing to some of their strengths, the whole tide of the match turned. They won a relatively easy second set 6-1 and continued on to the second, getting a 5-1 lead before cruising to the 6-3 final.

At #1D, the story was mostly the same. Simon and Brandon faced a great test in this match, their opponents had both big serves and solid groundstrokes, especially forehands. Early in the match and in the second set, the Bruins wanted to play to their strengths and show that we could do it better and harder. But in the decisive third set, we settled down and became smart about placement and aggressive in our net play. Simple doubles really. As we relaxed, we played even better and were able to pull out the set.

All through the JV, the story was much the same. Daniel played his driven groundstrokes and was able to pull away with the victory, Jackson took advantage of his forehand, Liam had to overcome some early laziness - but then committed to moving and not letting any easy points go by. Joel improved his court positioning and took good tempered swings from the baseline. Caleb and Jacob took advantage of their groundstrokes to make passing shots. Philip used depth to push Nathan around. Nathan used a great and simple rhythm to be more consistent. Braydon hit great serves and forehands. Jonah attempted to get to the net as often as possible. Chris and Tommy ramped up great groundstrokes struck at the feet. Angel tried to play as close to the net as he could. And more and more example from each match.

But these are our strengths. And we build around these. Each match, let us get joy from playing to our strength. 

Because ultimately, that's what the Christian life is about too. Our strength as Christian isn't ourselves and what we can do, it's Jesus and what he has done. When we are pointing to that strength, that is when the most gets accomplished. That's when we are "winning." Under pressure in life, we have to keep it simple: pray and point to Jesus' strength and love. Just like our strengths in tennis strokes are trustworthy, so is our God. 

It was awesome to watch so many play to your strength tonight. Pray to your Strength, Jesus, today as well. 

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-1, 6-2 - Cam Rafinski (11)

#2S - Jonathon Yousey - 2-6, 0-6 - Evan Kovatch (12)

#3S - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 6-1, 6-1 - Josh Bussan (10)

#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 - Michael Gray (11)/Dominik Rafinski (11)

#2D - Lane Miller/Dustin Miller - 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 - Michael Deranek (12)/Kenny Klimek (12)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Daniel Robles - 6-1 - Dustin Greer (9)

#2SJV - Jackson King - 6-1 - Aaron Jackson (11)

#3SJV - Liam Bradford - 7-5 - Caleb Suarez (10)
#4SJV - Joel Yoder - 6-3 - Aaron Jackson (11)

#1D Exhibition - Caleb Shenk/Jacob Woolace - 6-3

Bethany v. Bethany Matches
Nathan Oostland - 7-6 (4) - Philip Krabill
Braydon Harshberger - 6-5 - Jonah Farran
Tommy Nguyen/Chris Craw - 6-1 - Liam Bradford/Angel Torres

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Fairfield 5, Fremont 0
1. Mast d. Trusty 6-1, 6-4
2. Bender d. Conti 6-1, 6-0
3. Miller d. Camp 6-1, 6-4
1. Kauffman/Streit d. Thomas/Crotty 6-2, 6-0
2. Kropf/Skibbe d. Weisenfelder/Rode 6-0, 6-0.

NorthWood 4, Bremen 1
1. Jared Hoffman (N) def. Bryce Sterling 6-0, 6-1.
2. Weston Troyer (N) def. Carter Pilchak 6-1, 6-2.
3. Zach Burkholder (B) def. Landon Holland 6-3, 6-3.
1. Cam Stillson/Brent Mast (N) def. Jake Stehler/Chandler Snyder 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
2. Trevor Klotz/Jack Wysong (N) def. Bryce Tolle/Bryce Ginter 6-2, 6-1.

Goshen 4, Jimtown 1
1. Holden Price (J) defeated Jacob Grewe 6–1, 0–6, 6–1
2. Hugh Birkey (G) defeated Ben Clarke 6–4, 6–2
3. Simon Myers (G) defeated Austin Pearison 7–6(5), 6–2
1. Logan Troyer/Bobby Sessa (G) defeated Matt DeCloedt/Andrew Emeigh 6–3, 7–6(6)
2. Diego Torres/Nathanael Wertz (G) defeated Connor Corl/Bill Pawlak 6–2, 6–4

SEASON OPPONENTS
Westview 4, West Noble 1
1. Moore (WN) d. Davis 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
2. Hostetler (Wv) d. Halderman 6-0, 6-1
3. Zabona (Wv) d. I. Weimer 6-1, 6-1
1. Weaver/Barker (Wv) d. Bohde/M. Weimer 6-0, 6-1
2. Schrock/Miller (Wv) d. Saggers/Thompson 6-0, 6-0.

Blackhawk Christian 4, FW Northrup 1
1. Hall (BC) d. Imhoff 6-1, 6-0
2. Yourdon (BC) d. Lyon 6-0, 6-2
3. Carlson (BC) d. Marsh 6-0, 6-0
1. McClain/Brake (N) d. Kaufman/Romines 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
2. Foote/Mossburg (BC) d. Kalsto/Acra 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Angola 4, East Noble 1
1. Jake Honer lost 2-6, 3-6
2. Jaxon Davis won 7-6 (5), 7-5
3. Jordan Wells won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
1. Eric Nofziger/Spencer Griffis won 6-1, 6-3
2. Elijah Wyatt/Luke Hottell won 6-2, 6-3

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Wabash 3, Madison Grant 2
1. Luke Mattern won 6-1, 6-1
2. Rob Ford won 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Alex Driscoll won 6-2, 6-2
1. Wabash lost
2. Wabash lost

DISTRICT RANKED OPPONENTS

Moments of Beauty: Western

Moment of Beauty #1: Byeong Min Lim

On the very first point of the day, Byeong played a beautiful shot. Playing against Clayton Douglass, a player who took him to three sets in last year's tournament, Byeong opened our day with a beautiful return. The serve got into him and he sliced underneath it while moving out of the way. The ball zipped close to the net, dancing close to the net chord and looking like it could fall back onto Byeong's side. But by the slightest of margins, it cleared the net and landed softly in the court in front of the service line. Douglass was standing straight, not expecting the ball to come over and bounce so low. The drop shot didn't even let him get into the point, and Byeong took the early lead in a match where he'd eventually take the first set win 6-0.

Moment of Beauty #2: Brandon Nguyen and Simon Hurst

Umm... the whole match versus Western was beautiful. Crosscourt groundstrokes, cutting off the middle of the net, volleys through the middle of the court, smashes on the outside. Aces. Brandon and Simon played like a dominant force in this match. It was so much fun to watch this match. And those matches are the best. The ones that bring you joy even to watch!

Big Words from Western

"MINGLE"

Driving. Stretching. Praying. Playing. Playing great! Raining. Canceling. Waiting. Driving. Waiting. Playing. Playing great! Playing okay. Playing tired. Playing well. Waiting. Driving. Eating. Driving. Driving. Driving.

Did you read all that? I'm impressed :-) That's a summary of our day. It felt like a mingled mash up of good within the bad, and bad within the good.

We arrived at the tournament to sunny skies, but soon after, the clouds began to roll in. As we started our first match versus Northwestern, there was thunder threatening in the distance but hope that it would slide north of us. To our team's credit, we started out playing great. Byeong especially was on fire, finding the corners and angles and consistency to bring against an opponent he went 3 sets against last season. This year, in 15 minutes, he'd won the first set 6-0.

As had #1D, Brandon and Simon, playing with dominant aggression. And Daniel had one more point before closing out his first set 6-0. And Jonathon was close to a 3-1 lead. But then the rain switched from threatening to pouring, and we headed to the bus.

After a quick conversation and look ahead at the radar, the tournament was cancelled. But my brother, the head coach at Western, asked if we'd want to stay and play a duel match at the racket center in Greentown, which was a 20 minute drive from the school. Since we were already 2 hours away from home, I figured we might as well go play some tennis. So we drove to the racket center.

With only four courts, the match was going to take some time. But we got our warmup going and introduced the lineups by 11:00 and took the courts. Western was a team that beat us 3-2 last year and only lost one huge varsity contributor. They are a young team this year with lots of talent. But we came out ready to play. At all positions on the court, our team took the early leads.

Byeong looked especially on his game. Besides loving to play inside, Byeong's groundstrokes looked better than they have yet this season. He was moving, keeping points alive, following through on his swing. In short, he was playing fantastic. Last year, Haran beat Byeong in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. This match saw Byeong slowly build a first set lead, taking advantage of mistakes from his opponent.

There was nothing slow about the match at #1D. Brandon and Simon were fairly dominating from the beginning. The match started with Gifford serving for Western, and he has a beautiful big serve that really cracked with sound inside the tennis center. But the Bruins met his power with their own, and played to their strengths. Simon dominated the net, with power and touch, while Brandon had a good volleying day of his own right. When they broke that first service game, I could tell they would be in for a great day. Indeed, they played their best tennis of the season and sailed through the match.

So, good starts for both #1's. But it didn't last forever with Byeong. The good was mingled in with some bad. Some of Byeong's poor patterns emerged in the second set, as well as a nagging hip injury from all the running around Haran was forcing him to do. Soon, he found himself struggling to stay in points and lost the set. In the third set, Byeong played some of the most beautiful points I'd seen him play all day - but couldn't find a way to win games. In the end, one of his best played matches overall of the season actually ended in defeat.

Other positions saw this same pattern, the good and the bad mingled together. Jonathon Yousey was playing his first matches of varsity singles. One point he would fight to force an error, and the next he would float a simple backhand long. One point he would drive a passing shot at his opponent's feet, the next he would float a lob to be hit for an overhead. One point he would show positive passion, the next he would be frustrated. But overall, Jonathon played some of his best tennis, but like Byeong ended up with a loss.

Daniel Robles definitely played some of his best tennis in the second set of his match. The first set saw Daniel play a little timid, but in the second he struck the ball with authority. Unfortunately, it brought the best out of his opponent as well. Short points where both players were making simple errors turned into long points requiring excellent shots to win the point. And Western's #3 ended up making more of those great shots.

And there was that familiar mixing of good and bad when #2D took the court as well. The duo dominated the net, but putting the Panthers in difficult positions, but couldn't always find the final touch. Killer scissor kick overheads would be followed by second serve returns being sent long. There was desire and passion to win, which was awesome, but not always the execution. But the good stretches were getting longer for them.

Which is the goal really. No one ever plays a perfect tennis match. Tennis is a sport of mingling. Actually, if you can back up and admit that the good is always mingling with the bad, I think it becomes easier to deal with the things that are frustrating. Because you realize that just around the corner something good is about to happen, as long as you keep striving.

And after the matches are all over, the mingling doesn't stop. We went to BW's to get some wings and sat around enjoying laughter, soda, wings, football, discussion, and so much more. God has blessed us with some wonderful teammates, and that is what always brings good to any situation for me. Hanging out with the team, seeing my brother and his team, my parents coming to the match - its these relationships that make life sweet even in difficult. Thanks to God for that!

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-2, 2-6, 1-6 - Pranav Haran (11)
#2S - Jonathon Yousey - 2-6, 2-6 - John Sullivan (12)
#3S - Daniel Robles - 2-6, 2-6 - Tate Lockwood (11)
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 6-0, 6-2 - Chad Gifford (12)/Henry Lerche (11)
#2D - Lane Miller/Dustin Miller - 4-6, 5-7 - Ashton Guyer (11)/Mason Anderson (11)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 2-4, 4-2, (5-10) - Burkely Seekri (10)

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Culver Military 3, NorthWood 2
1. Jared Hoffman beat Ian Smith 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
2. Wes Troyer lost to Vincent Huang 3-6, 0-6
3. Landon Holland lost to Henry Bilicic 3-6, 5-7
1. Cam Stillson/Brant Mast lost to Andrew Dorrell/Charles Zhang 6-7 (8), 2-6
2. Trevor Klotz/Jack Wysong beat George DeVries/Peter Gallagher 6-4, 6-4

SEASON OPPONENTS
Penn 4, Northridge 1
1. James Dugle (N) def. Mason Lee 6-3, 6-0
2. AJ Antonelli (P) def. Simon Grevengoed 6-2, 6-2
3. Sid Das (P) def. Gabe Rodino 3-6, 6-4, (10-8).
1. Cole Poleya/Jack Spaulding (P) def. Luke Wogoman/Logan Corns 7-5, 6-3.
2. Eric Spaargaren/Nick Casseti (P) def. Eric Firstenberger/Drew Wheatley, 6-1, 6-4.

Northridge 3, Marion 2

Fremont 3, FW Snider 2
1. Trusty (F) d. Habig 7-6, 6-3

2. Conti (F) d. N/A 7-5, 1-6, 6-2

3. Camp (F) d. N/A 6-1, 6-4

1. Sanderson/Haft (S) d. Thomas/Crotty 7-6, 6-4

2. Springer/Murray (S) d. Wsisenfelder/Rode 6-1, 6-1.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
South Bend St. Joseph's 3, Plymouth 2

DISTRICT RANKED TEAMS
NC Invitational (Buckley Division)
1. #1 - FW Leo 33 (Won 1S, 3S)
2. Cathedral 31 (Won 1D, 2D)
3. Floyd Central 30 (Won 2S)
4. Brebeuf 26
5. #3 - FW Carroll 20
6. TH South 11
7. #4 - FW Canterbury 10
8. Munster 9

NC Invitational (Shirley Division)
1. Carmel 40 (Won 1S, 2S)
2. North Central 38 (Won 1D, 2D)
3. Guerin Catholic 27 (Won 3S)
4. HSE 18
5. Park Tudor 18
6. #2 - Homestead 11
7. Jeffersonville 11
8. Bloomington South 7

Moment of Beauty: Fremont

Moment of Beauty #1: Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes

Not every beautiful point has to be a winner. In his match against Prairie Heights, Lucas was having problems early in each set with simply missing shots. So we adjusted strategies. Start the points by hitting your shots in and then begin to work your opponent around the court. The match changed as Lucas employed this strategy, the points became longer and Lucas' opponent made more mistakes. The best example of this was a point in the second set. Lucas served and the ball was returned to his forehand, which he hit down the middle and toward his opponent's backhand. The next ball came shorter and Lucas stepped in and whipped it down the line to the backhand corner. The next ball came even shorter, and Lucas crushed it into the forehand corner. His opponent ran it down and Lucas approached the net. But the shot was lifted at an awkward height for Lucas, so he retreated to the baseline and put the ball down the middle. The point continued for several more shots, most being in the middle of the court. Finally, Lucas was forced wide and had to lift the ball into the middle, but his opponent was tired and hurried, and hit an error trying for a big finisher. It was a long point, but it was beautiful to see Lucas play it so smartly.

Moment of Beauty #2: Simon Hurst

From a long point to a short one. Simon served and got a short ball from his opponent. Simon crushed the forehand approach into the backhand and his opponent made a slicing stab at the ball, which floated toward the edge of the court on Simon's forehand side. Simon moved forward quickly, getting right on top of the net. Just as the ball crossed to his side, Simon met it with a solid volley, but sending the ball almost straight sideways. His opponent had no chance as the impossible angle of the ball sent it almost parallel to the net. The shot bounded down the courts because of the sharp angle. It was such a rare point.

Big Words from Fremont

"FAUCET"

This was good. Tonight was a good match. We took a small group of guys for a long bus ride, and then were able to play some good tennis. There were highlights in all of the matches, where the handle was turned, and our faucet was pouring out hot.

Byeong played a very close first set with the Eagle's #1, Evan Trusty. Both were having difficulty breaking serve. But in the middle of the first set, Byeong began to make small footwork and strategy adjustments. These adjustments made Trusty's service games closer, and Byeong was finally able to make the breakthrough to take the first set. Footwork is such a huge thing for Byeong, making the adjustment steps and swinging, so it was good to see him do that when he needed to.

For Simon, playing his second match at #2 singles instead of #1 doubles, then highlights came mixed in with the difficulties. On his best points, he was able to confidently step up to the ball and send streaking approaches into senior Joe Conti's backhand. Simon's volleys tonight were then killer, and he was able to turn them on for the second set tiebreak, where he played his best tennis.

At #3S, Lucas found a way to recover his stroke. He was able to lengthen points out by making sure to take balls down the middle when he was uncomfortable. This allowed his stroke to loosen up, and he really began to hit good angles and put Fremont's #3, Thayne Camp, in difficult positions.

At the doubles positions, we had great plays where we were able to step into the ball and spin simple forehands into the empty court, causing the four Eagle doubles players to make passing shots or lobs under pressure. We moved up well and didn't try to do too much...

most of the time.

Because in each of the matches, we also had moments where the handles got switched, the cold was turned on, and we couldn't figure out how to turn it off. We got frustrated, we stopped moving, we lost energy, we hit dumb aggressive instead of smart aggressive, we got worried. In those moments, the Eagles took advantage, and picked up their level of play.

The point is not that we are going to always be running hot. A faucet doesn't work that way (unless you get a really expensive water heater :-) The trick is, how do we turn off the cold water - the frustration, the loss of energy, the poor footwork, the mental sabotage - and restart? How do we keep the hot water flowing for the whole match, instead just in spurts?

Well, there are some keys to doing this. First, keep it at a low, hot stream for most of the match. Instead of turning the water on full blast, just get a steady stream. A steady stream of energy, a steady stream of positivity. Then, you can flip the water on full blast when you need a bunch of hot, like finishing off a set. How do you keep that steady stream?

1. Find a focus word that you can return to between every point.
2. Don't get worried about singular bad points, wipe them off and return to your focus.
3. Use positive body language (silent fist pumps, mental c'mons, smiles and hi-fives).
4. Use verbal encouragement for yourself in big moments (but stay away from verbalizing discouragement).

Honestly, the biggest key is #1. Having a pattern that you return to after every point. But let's talk about this more at practice tonight.

In general, I loved how we played. It was smart, it was aggressive, and it was fun to watch. And it was fun to be together with you. Picking out songs on the ride home was a highlight to me, one of the many non-tennis memories we'll have from this season together. Thanks guys!

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-4, 6-0 - Evan Trusty (10)
#2S - Simon Hurst - 6-4, 7-6 (2) - Joe Conti (12)
#3S - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 6-3, 6-4 - Thayne Camp (11)
#1D - Brandon Nguyen/Lane Miller - 6-0, 6-3 - Cole Thomas (11)/Quest Crotty (10)
#2D - Dustin Miller/Jonathon Yousey - 6-2, 6-1 - Dylan Weisenfelder (11)/Josh Rode (10)

Junior Varsity
#1DJV - Daniel Robles/Jackson King - 8-1 - Eli McNaughton (9)/Chase Boals (9)

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Goshen 4, Westview 1
1. Jacob Grewe (G) def. Kurtis Davis, 7-5, 6-4.

2. Hugh Birky (G) def. Austin Hostetler, 6-2, 6-0. 

3. Simon Myers (G) def. Trey Zabona, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
1. Logan Troyer/Bobby Sessa (G) def. Jeryl Weaver/Ryan Barker, 6-4, 6-3. 

2. Peyton Schrock/Ryan Miller (W) beat Diego Torres/Nathanael Wertz, 7-5, 6-4.

Jimtown 5, New Prairie 0
1. Holden Price def. Levi Hostetler 6-1, 6-3.
2. Ben Clarke def. Evan Knowlton 6-4, 6-1.
3. Austin Pearison def. Hunter Houser 6-0, 6-0.
1. Matt DeCloedt/Andrew Emigh def. Adam Toth/Collin Britton 6-3, 7-5.
2. Connor Corl/Nate Behrens def. Isaac Kuczmanski/Joe Henning 6-4, 6-2.

Jimtown 4, Bremen 1
1. Holden Price (J) def. Bryce Sterling, 6-4, 6-0.
2. Ben Clarke (J) def. Zach Burkholder, 6-1, 6-1.
3. Austin Pearison (J) def. Bryce Ginter, 6-3, 6-1.
1. Chandler Snyder/Jake Strehler (B) def. Matt DeCloedt/Andrew Emeigh, 6-0, 6-1.
2. Connor Corl/Bill Pawlak (J) def. Bryce Tolle/Evan Reed, 6-4, 6-0.

Concord 5, NorthWood 0
1. Will Boyer def. Jared Hoffman, 6-1, 6-2
2. Alex Serwatka def. Wes Troyer, 6-1, 6-1
3. Nate Slabach def. Landon Holland, 6-2, 6-1
1. Nathan Hermon/Travis Hermon def. Cam Stillson/Brant Mast, 6-2, 6-2
2. Jake Lovette/Freddy Buckingham def. Trevor Klotz/Jack Wysong, 6-2, 6-4

Fairfield 5, Churubusco 0
1. Joel Mast def. Isaac Ramey, 6-0, 6-0.
2. Clayton Bender def. Collin Mullins, 6-1, 6-0.
3. Isaac Miller def. Nathan Downing, 6-0, 6-0.
1. Joel Kropf/Aaron Streit def. Noah Grim/Andy Bowyer, 6-2, 6-0.
2. Jesse Grimm/Aaron Skibbe def. Isaac Smith/Andrew Boggess, 6-0, 6-0.

SEASON OPPONENTS
South Bend Adams 3, Elkhart Central 2
1. Andrew Salmon (C) def. Tommy Han 6-4, 7-5.
2. Donnell Williams (A) def. Michael Beveridge 7-5, 6-2.
3. Zach Fernandez (A) def. Phillip Stutzman 6-3, 6-4.
1. Matthew Petersen/James Dokes (A) def. Jared Reid/Hunter Sauserman 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
2. Nathan Brekke/Adam Moon (C) def. Ted Nagy/Elliot Zyniewicz 6-1, 6-7, 6-2.

Northridge 4, Westview 1
1. James Dugle (N) def. Kurtis Davis, 6-1, 6-1.

2. Simon Grevengoed (N) def. Austin Hostetler, 6-3, 6-2. 

3. Trey Zabona (W) def. Gabe Rodino, 6-4, 6-4.
1. Luke Wogoman/Logan Corns (N) def. Jeryl Weaver/Ryan Barker, 7-5, 6-1. 

2. Drew Wheatley/Eric Firstenberger (N) def. Peyton Schrock/Ryan Miller, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Westview 5, Whitko 0

Leo 5, Angola 0
1. E. Steiner d. Honer 6-1, 6-1
2. Herran d.Davis 6-0, 6-3
3.  I. Steiner d. Wells 6-0, 6-0
1. Roth/Brandenberger d. Griffiths/Nofziger 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
2. Jakacki/McDaniel d. Wyatt/Hottell 6-2, 6-1.

Bellmont 4, Blackhawk Christian 1
1. Hall (BC) d. O’ Campo 6-3, 6-4
2. Alanis (B) d. Yourdon 7-5, 7-6
3. Brown (B) d. Carlson 6-2, 6-3
1. Selking/Ysidron (B) d. Romines/Kaufman 6-2, 6-1
2. Schuler/Wetter (B) d. Mossburg/Foote 6-0, 6-1.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Lebanon 3, Bishop Chatard 2
1. Michael Wright (L) def. John Dietrick, 6-3, 6-2
2. Jacob Copeland (L) def. Tom Winternheimer, 6-0, 6-3
3. Cody Hollingsworth (L) def. Sam Klineman 6-0, 6-1.
1. Tommy Kouns/Drew Davidson lost 3-6, 4-6
2. Thomas Engels/Sam Hood lost 0-6, 3-6

Plainfield 2, Lebanon 0
Lebanon lost both doubles, singles not finished.

Lebanon 5, Pike 0

Wawasee 5, West Noble 0
1. Stanley d. Moore 6-3, 6-4

2. Haines d. Halderman 6-0, 6-0

3. Perez d. Bohde 6-3, 6-2

1. Conley/Krueger d. M. Weimer/I. Weimer 6-3, 6-0

2. Perek/Gray d. Saggars/Thompson 6-2, 6-1.
Highland 4, Lake Central 1
1. Matthew Cotner (H) d. Keith Crawford 6-4. 1-6, 6-4
2. Ricky Larson (LC) d. Meet Patel 6-3, 6-4
3. Chris Peters (H) d. Steven Tulsiak 6-4, 6-0.
1. Mason Gluth-Alex Lopez (H) d. Doug DeVries-Mathew Matakovic 6-2, 6-1
2. Fred Kepler-Harrison Bronisz (H) d. Spero Vrehas-Noah Meyer 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Highland 5, Andrean 0
1. Matthew Cotner (H) d. Tommy Pampalone 6-0, 6-0
2. Meet Patel (H) d. Brad Leveque 6-0, 6-1
3. Chris Peters (H) won by forfeit.
1. Mason Gluth-Alex Lopez (H) d. Evan Hylek-Brian Edenfield 6-1, 6-0
2. Fred Kepler-Harrison Bronisz (H) won by forfeit.

Wheeler 3, Merrillville 2
1. Christian Rosta (W) d. Justin Jackson 6-4, 6-4

2. Joe Hibbard (W) d. Keith Rochefort 6-2, 6-4

3. Clayton Sanders (W) d. D’Angelo Brown 6-1, 6-1.
1. Marcus Miller-T.J. Harris (M) d. Reese Holton-Jesiah Lee 7-5, 6-3

2. Cameron Louthan-Josh Raddatz (M) d. Grant Giorgia-Trey Erny 6-4, 5-7, 6-0.

DISTRICT RANKED TEAMS
#1 FW Leo 5, Angola 0
See scores above.

#3 FW Carroll 5, #4 FW Canterbury 0
1. Radke d. Pamidi 6-1, 6-1

2. Stoffel d. Reddy 6-1, 6-3

3. Keuneke d. Garrett 7-5, 6-2

1. VanWyngarden/Yager d. Gize/Lal 6-2, 6-2

2. Smith/Hoerr d. Gnagy/Patel 6-2, 6-3.

Moments of Beauty: Concord

Moment of Beauty #1: Liam Bradford
Liam has the best touch of any player on the team (and yes, I'm including Byeong in that :-) This touch allows him to hit shots that shouldn't be possible given his court and feet position. But when he gets in the correct court position, and when he moves his feet well, then Liam hits fantabulous shots that very few on the team can match. That happened yesterday in his singles match. Playing a series of crosscourt shots to his opponent's forehand, Liam kept on getting balls that were closer to the net and wider to his forehand. Finally, he whipped over the top of one of these forehands. He didn't blast it, but he bent it, and it spun down three feet inside the service line but at such a severe angle that it bounced into court 2 next to him. His opponent was flat footed, not expected that angle. It was a quick winner for Liam!

Moment of Beauty #2: Jacob Woolace
Jacob has been a great doubles player over the summer because he's had the big shot when needed. A big forehand or a big serve. At times, however, Jacob has struggled with consistency. In playing his first singles match of the season, Jacob needed that consistency and hustle to win. It took every little bit too. The point I remember the most is where Jacob got scrambling all over the court. Forehand to backhand, stretching out in the doubles alley with a slice and then covering the court with a running forehand. The point lasted more than 20 strokes and finally his opponent lifted the ball long. As Jacob grabbed the ball he pumped a fist, because it had been a point well worth all the hustle!

Moment of Beauty #3: Brandon Nguyen
I could give Brandon two moments of beauty from this match, because two things stick with me. In the midst of a cross court rally Brandon saw the Minuteman at the net creeping toward the center and coolly placed a ball in the doubles alley down the line. Before the ball even bounced, Brandon was letting go a "C'mon!" because it was just one of those shots that feels awesome right when you hit it.

Secondly, Brandon absolutely smoked a forehand volley.  It was awesome. That is all.

Moment of Beauty #4: Nathan Oostland
Sometimes, it truly is a single moment, a single shot that is beautiful. That happened in Nathan's match on Tuesday. In the first game that Nathan served, he hit a killer serve to the ad court. Nathan's serve is great when he consistently gets it in. It's fast, it has spin, and it can be directed to his opponent's weakness. In this case, he whipped it toward his opponent's backhand. But it didn't matter, it slammed on the sideline and bounced away from his opponent for an ace! Sweet!

Big Words: Your

"Our Father, in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debtors,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one."

You & Us Not Me & Mine
This is the simplest devotional ever. I want to make a simple observation on this prayer as we begin to think about the next section: "Your kingdom come, your will be done..."

How many times does the prayer say "your"?
3

How many times does the prayer say "our," "we," or "us"?
9

How many times does the prayer say "I," "me," or "mine"?
0

When we live to follow Jesus, when we live to grow in faith and truth, when we want to live with lasting joy... our thoughts turn more away from ourselves and invest more in others.

If you find yourself struggling with frustration right now... pray for us.
If you find yourself struggling with impatience right now... pray for God's will.
If you find yourself struggling right now... don't try to solve it yourself, instead start your prayer with...

OUR Father, in heaven,
hallowed by YOUR name.
YOUR kingdom come,
YOUR will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

Big Words from Concord

"ATHIRST"

DESCRIPTION

Wow. Good tennis tonight played by both teams. I always love playing Concord because from JV to Varsity they are going to have a solid team. What a chance for us to improve. What a chance for us to show how well we're playing. What a chance to make a great win.

However, we didn't get that win tonight. We got a 4-1 loss and a 4-4 tie :-) But we did improve. And we did show how well we can play at many positions. At #1D, Simon and Brandon picked up another win. This time they were challenged by an excellent team of brothers, who came up with big shots. Nathan Hermon especially had the ability to change the point quickly with one shot. But so did Simon and Brandon. Both players did an excellent job of volleying today, closing the net and making life difficult on returns and cross court battles. Every day, Brandon and Simon look more and more like a confident doubles team.

But I was also ridiculously impressed by Lucas and Daniel. We've been talking singles strategy, and it was obvious that both of these guys are taking it to heart. Both started out with slow first sets, where they couldn't seem to locate their shots in the court. But as the second sets began, there was no give up in them. Both found ways to make the match more difficult for their opponent. Changing up styles, being aggressive from the middle of the court, attacking the backhand, using their "swords." In the end, we simply need to work on being more consistent in those attacking elements. But we're on our way.

At #2D, a very evenly matched competition came down to who was hitting their shots well at the end of the set. Concord tonight seemed to really have the answers when the set was on the line. Lane and Dustin didn't give the match away with silly errors, but Concord was able to swing through and force difficult shots that we weren't quite able to fight off.

And at #1S, Will Boyer played fantastic. He hits such a heavy topspin ball with such consistency, and seemed to have the big shots at the big moments of the match. Byeong also dealt with times of inconsistency in this match, maybe because he became impatient to finish points and get back into a lead. I really have admired the consistency that I've seen from Boyer the last two times I've seen him play, and the resiliency he has after losing points. It was a well played match that was fun to watch.

For the JV, we actually won the top 4 positions. We swept the singles, with highlights being Jackson King's best match of the season and Jacob Woolace pulling out a dominating tiebreak. Jackson seemed to be very honed in tonight, with strokes putting pressure on his Minuteman opponent. That pressure is such an important part of forcing errors. Which is what Jacob Woolace found out as well, as his consistency ebbed and flowed throughout the match. When he put consistent pressure on with his regular strokes, he was able to succeed in the matches final moments.

Other wins came from Liam Bradford, who plays some of the most beautiful shots on our team at some of the most unexpected times. From dropshots to forehand winners to lobs, Liam has all the tools to be an excellent singles player. And Caleb Shenk and Jonathon Yousey made a sweet comeback, down 2-4 to winning 6-4. The key was hitting solid, simple shots and coming to the net to put pressure on their opponents. That was a great match to watch.

All of the other matches had highlights too. Jonah served well, Nathan volleyed well, Braydon's forehand looked great, Chris attacked his groundstrokes, and Joel Yoder opened his match with a forehand winner down the line. We just need to find consistency, we need to bring our games to more completion, which leads me to a...

REFLECTION

We have played four matches, and we have played four good teams. Tonight, against Concord, we probably played the most balanced and talented team of the season. And so the result, losing 4-1 on the varsity and tying 4-4 for the JV, isn't that bad.

Even better news is that I've been asking each of you to concentrate NOT on the score, but instead on HOW YOU ARE PLAYING. I've been wanting you to think about hitting the right shots, moving your feet, staying smart and aggressive in big points. And tonight, I saw evidence of that, especially across the varsity positions! Daniel was mixing things up, staying in points, driving the ball, finding ways to attack. Lucas played a beautiful match, driving things deep and setting himself up for beautiful winners. I saw Liam set up beautiful points, Jacob make adjustments, Caleb keep his confidence, Jackson play with solidity... there was a lot of good in the match!

Still, if you are like me, my eye can be drawn to the things that still need to be improved. Call it the coach's eye (or the parent's eye :-) but I can see that we still haven't reached our potential. And I am athirst for that moment. I am athirst to see the completion of this team, because I think it will be so much fun. And when we are playing extremely talented teams like the Minutemen, I am disappointed when we don't get to come at them with our best. I long to see us be consistently great, and put an even better challenge into this match. 

Instead, I need to remind myself - and remind you - that we are on our way. It is good if you are feeling athirst, longing and fervent for that better play, that consistency, that final ball to find its mark. Its good because that desire is what should push you on to strive. To strive to improve. To strive to move quicker. To strive to listen, understand, and implement. To strive to have courage against what now scares you. 

Also, I need to remind myself of the improvement we've already seen. Last Tuesday, against Northridge I wrote about ataxia, things felt totally out of joint and out of place. That's not the case now, as serves, swings and strategies have come into focus and look good at times. So, we have come in sync. We have direction. Now, we want to move toward completion.

What a good picture this is of the life we live with faith in Jesus too. There are times when we are completely out of sync, disjointed, and far away. In these times, I have found that God often uses something to shake me up and remind me of Jesus' loving presence and the Holy Spirit's call on my life. In being reminded, I feel put back together, and I see flashes of God's work in me. I feel flashes of God's peace. But I don't feel the wholeness, the completion, that Christ is moving me toward.

If I am impatient for that completion, if all I am athirst for is perfection, then my next stage is frustration. I fail to notice all the good work that Jesus is doing in me and only notice what is lacking. The progress isn't fast enough for me. I still experience failures, sins, and selfishness. I lose hope and fall back to ataxia, completely out of rhythm.

However, if I am athirst for relationship with Jesus, then I am renewed with strength. Instead of focusing on the failures, I see the improvements. Instead of being impatient, I recognize the process. I see the steps that I'm taking, the blessing that God is providing, and the people that are supporting me.

In the book of John, Jesus constantly refers to himself as living water. I think that water is what we need now. If we are feeling thirsty, we need to pursue Jesus. God will open our eyes to the beauty that is around us and fill us with strength to strive on toward completion. God will show us the relationships around us that will fill us with strength to strive on toward completion. God will. 

And so, when I'm thirsty, I want to remember what I'm really thirsty for... not perfection but instead RELATIONSHIP, and two simple little words become my prayer for fulfillment this week: God will.

SCORES
Varsity
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 1-6, 1-6 - Will Boyer (11)
#2S - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 1-6, 2-6 - Alex Serwatka (10)
#3S - Daniel Robles - 1-6, 3-6 - Nate Slabach (10)
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 7-5, 6-3 - Nathan Herman (12)/Travis Herman (9)
#2D - Dustin Miller/Lane Miller - 4-6, 5-7 - Jake Lovette (12)/Freddy Buckingham (10)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Jackson King - 6-1
#2SJV - Liam Bradford - 6-4
#3SJV - Jacob Woolace - 7-6 (1)
#1DJV - Jonathon Yousey/Caleb Shenk - 6-4
#2DJV - Tommy Nguyen/Philip Krabill - 1-6
#3DJV - Joel Yoder/Braydon Harshberger - 1-6
#4DJV - Jonah Farran/Nathan Oostland - 2-6
#5DJV - Angel Torres/Chris Craw - 1-6

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Goshen 4, Elkhart Central 1
1. Andrew Salmon (C) def. Jacob Grewe 6-2, 6-4.

2. Hugh Birky (G) def. Michael Beveridge 6-2, 6-1. 

3. Simon Myers (G) def. Nathan Brekke 6-0, 6-0.
1. Logan Troyer/Bobby Sessa (G) def. Hunter Sauserman/Jared Reid 6-0, 6-2. 

2. Diego Torres/Nathanael Wertz (G) def. Adam Moon/Dane Frieden 6-3, 6-4.

SEASON OPPONENTS
Northridge 4, Lakeland 1
1. James Dugle (N) def. Hunter Frost 6-0, 6-0.
2. Simon Grevengoed (N) def. Christian Roose 6-2, 6-1.
3. Reece Romer (L) def. Logan Corns 6-4, 6-4.
1. Luke Wogoman/Eric Firstenberger (N) def. Isaiah Lehman/Drew Grossman 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
2. Drew Wheatley/Gabe Rodino (N) won by forfeit.

Angola 3, DeKalb 2
1. Honer (A) d. Holwerda 6-1, 6-3

2. Cruz (D) d. Davis 6-3, 6-3

3. Wells (A) d. Reutebach 6-2, 6-2

1. Griffis/Nofziger (A) d. Severs/Travis 6-2, 6-2

2. Gurtner/Novak (D) d. Hottell/Wyatt 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

Bishop Luers 4, Blackhawk Christian 1

1. Hall (BC) d. Scheible 4-6, 6-3, 7-6

2. Woehnker (BL) d. Yourdon 6-3, 6-1

3. Burton (BL) d. Mossburg 6-0, 6-0

1. Pyle/Blomeke (BL) d. Kaufman/Romines 7-6, 6-3

2. Scheiber/Fettinger (BL) d. Foote/Jentgen 6-1, 6-3

Triton 4, North Judson 1
No individual positions reported.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Northwestern 4, Frankfort 1
1. Clayton Douglass won 6-1, 6-1
2. Northwestern lost
3. Brayden Chou won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
1. Brevin Sanford/Joe Johns won 6-3, 6-2
2. T.J. Macaluso/Tyler Wilson won 6-1, 6-2

Western 3, Mississinewa 2
1. Pranav Haran won 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
2. Western lost
3. Berkley Seekli won 6-4, 6-4
1. Western lost
2. Ashton Guyer/Mason Anderson won 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Lowell 3, Portage 2
1. Luke Fleming (L) d. Kodie Sorensen 6-0, 6-0
2. Zack Gertzen (P) d. Tucker Malkowski 7-5, 6-2
3. Mikey Sobczak (P) d. Noah Durr 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, (10-2).
1. Daniel Fleming-Hayden Ingram (L) d. Evan Gerkie-Alex Bourge 6-2, 6-2
2. Kyle Roberts-Nick Bank (L) d. Ronnie Wilkins-Bryce Kissinger 6-0, 6-2.

Merrillville 3, Highland 2
1. Matthew Cotner (H) d. Ayron Williams 7-6(6), 6-0

2. Justin Jackson (M) d. Meet Patel 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

3. Keith Rochefort (M) d. Chris Peters 6-4, 7-6(3).

1. Mason Gluth-Alex Lopez (H) d. JP Harris-Marcus Miller 6-2, 6-0

2. Deion Charleston/TJ Sabbath (M) d. Fred Kepler/Alex Lopez 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

Wabash 4, Tippecanoe Valley 1
1. Luke Mattern won 6-2, 6-2
2. Rob Ford won 6-2, 6-0

3. Alex Driscoll won 6-1, 6-0
1. Cal Stone & Asif Khan fell 1-6, 7-5, (10-5)
2. Matthew Stein & Ayden Kocher won 6-1, 6-1

DISTRICT RANKED OPPONENTS
#4 FW Canterbury 4, New Haven 1
1. Elliott (C) d. Cummings 6-0, 6-0

2. Witwer (C) d. Rondot 6-1, 6-0

3. Walulik (C) d. Garcia 6-2, 6-1

1. Garcia/DeFederico (NH) d. Boyd/Sun 7-5, 6-4

2. Hofer/Meesa (C) d. Harris/Young 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Jimtown 3, Elkhart Memorial 2
1. Holden Price(J) defeated Brandon Bailey 6-0, 6-1
2. Austin Pearison (J) defeated Mike Troyer 6-0, 6-1
3. Andrew Emeigh (J) defeated Chris Troyer 6-3, 6-0
1. Justin Walter/Brett Wilson (M) defeated Matt DeCloedt/Connor Corl, 6-3, 6-0
2. Tryston Swartz/Dylan Lundgren(M) defeated Nate Behrens/Bill Pawlak, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Fairfield 5, NorthWood 0
1. Jared Hoffman lost to Joel Mast, 0-6, 0-6
2. Wes Troyer lost to Clayton Bender, 1-6, 1-6
3. Landon Hollan lost to Isaac Miller, 0-6, 2-6
1. Cam Stillson/Brant Mast lost to Dylan Kaufman/Aaron Streit, 6-4, 1-6, 0-6
2. Trevor Klotz/Jack Wysong lost to Jesse Grimm/Aaron Skibbe, 6-7(4), 2-6

SEASON OPPONENTS
FW Leo 5, Blackhawk Christian 0
1. E. Steiner d. Hall 6-0, 6-0

2. Herran d. Yowdon 6-0, 6-1

3. I. Steiner d. Mossburg 6-0, 6-0

1. Roth/Brandenberger d. Romires/Kaufman 6-1, 6-1

2. Jakacki/McDaniel d. Foote/Jentgen 6-0, 6-0

Fremont 4, West Noble 1
1. Evan Trusty (F) def. Moore 6-2, 6-0
2. Joe Conti (F) def. Halderman 7-5, 6-3
3. Thayne Camp (F) def. Weimer 6-2, 6-0
1. Weimer/Bohde (WN) def. Cole Thomas/Josh Rode 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6)
2. Quest Crotty/Dylan Weisenfelder (F) def. Saggers/Thompson 6-3, 6-0

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Highland 5, Hanover Central 0
1. Matthew Cotner (H) d. Dakota Pederson 6-3, 6-0

2. Meet Patel (H) d. Kyle McCune 2-6, 7-5, 6-2

3. Chris Peters (H) d. Jackson Foreman 6-0, 6-2.
1. Mason Gluth-Alex Lopez (H) d. Jake Gilliam-Zion Baker 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1

2. Fred Kepler-Harrison Bronisz (H) d. Jonathon Knott-Justin McCarthy 6-0, 6-1.

Eastern 3, Madison-Grant 2
1. Ryan Manfred won 6-0, 6-3

2. Isaac Beachy won 6-1, 6-2 

3. Manny Moreno won 6-1, 6-3

1. #1D lost

2. #2D lost

DISTRICT RANKED OPPONENTS
Week 1 Rankings
1. FW Leo
2. FW Homestead
3. FW Carroll
4. FW Canterbury
5. Northridge
6. Angola
7. Concord
8. East Noble

Area Scores - 2016

SECTIONAL OPPONENTS
Goshen 5, Clay 0
1. Hugh Birky beat Johnny Anderson, 8-0
2. Wes Beck beat Mitchell Simmons, 8-0
3. Goshen won by forfeit.
1. Goshen won by forfeit
2. Diego Torres-Ben Bontrager-Singer beat Sion Shippley-Timothy McGinnis, 8-0.

Goshen 5, Northrup 0
No individual positions reported.

SEASON OPPONENTS
Fremont 3, Lakeland 2
1. Trusty (F) d. Frost 6-1, 6-0

2. Roose (L) d. Conti 6-2, 6-4

3. Camp (F) d. Romer 6-2, 7-5

1. Lehman/Grossman (L) d. Thomas/Rode 6-2, 6-2

2. Crotty/Weisenfelder (F) won by ff.

Fremont 3, Snider 2

1. Trusty (F) d. Habig 6-4, 6-2

2. Conti (F) d. Blackwell 2-6, 6-2, 10-3

3. Camp (F) d. Murray 6-3, 6-2

1. Haft/Sanderson (S) d. Thomas/Rode 3-6, 6-4, 10-4

2. Shock/Springer (S) d. Crotty/Weisenfelder 6-0, 6-1

Triton 3, SB Riley 2

No individual positions reported.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Centerville 5, Randolph Southern 0
1. Nolan Witte (CEN) def. Kory Slick 6-0, 6-0
2. Skyler Benedict (CEN) def. Jordan McRynolds 6-0, 6-0
3. Josh Duke (CEN) def. Josh Good 6-0, 6-0
1. Blake Shook/Nathan Cheek (CEN) def. Tyler Peas/Devin Guethrie 6-0, 6-0
2. Bennett Walther/Nate Reed (CEN) def. Tyler Knotts/Jimmy Ashbaugh 6-1, 6-0.

Cass 3, Eastern 2
1. Ryan Manfred lost
2. Isaac Beachey won 8-4
3. Manny Moreno won 8-4
1. Zach Cowsert/Evan Kozienski lost

2. Eastern lost

Eastern 4, Tippecanoe Valley 1

1. Ryan Manfred won 8-2

2. Isaac Beachey won 8-2

3. Manny Moreno won 8-2

1. Zach Cowsert/Evan Kozienski won 8-3

2. Eastern lost

DISTRICT RANKED OPPONENTS
No district rankings have been released.

Moments of Beauty: Jimtown

Moment of Beauty #1: Daniel Robles
How can I describe how beautiful this whole match was? It's hard to encompass all the things that made this beautiful - a senior, playing only his third varsity match, struggling at times in practice with keeping his level going all the way through challenges - this player wins the match for the varsity! But to boil it down to one beautiful moment, my favorite was Daniel's overhead. Seth has worked with him in many practices on how to hit that overhead, making it simple by reminding Daniel to point at the ball, time it, and then smash it. Many players ignore the coaching advice to point at the ball, thinking it to be too elementary our something. But Daniel didn't. Late in the final set, as Daniel was down 6-5, he attacked to the backhand and a lob went up close to the net. Daniel's left hand shot into the air to track that ball, and I knew his overhead was going to end the point. Sure, enough he whipped that racket almost hook shot style over his head and pounded down the first point of his comeback. I love it!

Moment of Beauty #2: Dustin Miller
After Lane got the sweet shots to end the tiebreak against Goshen, Dustin attacked the net the end their 3 set match against Jimtown. With Lane serving, up 5-3, Dustin got three net putaways to finish off the Jimmies. The one that sticks in my mind was a simple one. After Lane's serve, Lane put his next groundstroke deep. Dustin had backed up toward the service line until the ball was able to get past the Jimmie net man, then Dustin moved forward to cut off the net and the next ball. Sure enough, it came to his backhand as he moved forward. With a quick step to his right, Dustin extended his backhand volley and kept his momentum going forward. His placement of the volley was perfect, right down the middle, splitting the Jimtown opponents. The volley was solid, hitting near the service line and bouncing low. The Jimmie back player could not reach it before it bounced again. It was beautiful smaggression to close out the match!

Big Words from Jimtown

"RIGHT"

Our team cheer this year is simple: "Let's do this, together." We've been discussing the importance of persevering and striving and never giving up, and doing that striving together. This summer, we opened up the courts and said come on out if you want to get better. We've been talking and talking about playing the way you want to play, even under pressure. And so, to watch all of those things collide in our play tonight - it felt right.

Our team didn't come out playing their best tennis tonight. We looked a little tired and unfocused, which can often happen at away matches. Well, that is, everyone except for Simon, Brandon and Jonathon. Those three guys seemed to be on fire. Brandon and Simon picked up right where they left off last night, having fun and played with great poise. They rolled through their match, as did Jonathon. Again, we was picking up on the strengths he figured out during his comeback against Goshen. All of these guys played with smaggression, driving through the ball, attacking the net, and finding weaknesses. So the varsity picked up a win as did the JV.

On the varsity, Lucas found a good rhythm after a bit in his match. He was able to take the short balls that his opponent fed him and attack the net. However, after taking a 5-4 lead he couldn't hold the momentum and fell in the first set. The second set he could never quite get over the hump and lost the match in two sets. Also losing on the varsity was Byeong Min Lim. He played junior Holden Price, who played an awesome match. No matter what Byeong threw at him, Holden ran it down and made Byeong hit another ball. And then another. And then another. Price's perfectly weighted shots created pressure on Byeong. It was a close 4-6, 4-6 loss.

At #2D, Dustin and Lane started what became the trend of the day. In their first set, they went to a tiebreak. We apparently loved tiebreaks on this day. In fact, in total between the JV and Varsity we played 6 tiebreaks on the day. We went 3-3 in those tiebreaks too. Daniel, Dustin and Lane, and Braydon and Jonah won theirs, which was awesome as they continued to play the way they wanted to through the stressful breakers. 

Speaking of playing the way they wanted to, and persevering under pressure, Caleb Shenk had to face some pressure today at #3SJV. He built a 7-3 lead, only to see Jimtown freshman Andrew Coble fight back to 7-6. But keeping his cool, Caleb was able to finish off the match for his third straight JV victory. This also makes him the only player on our team to still be undefeated on the individual season :-)

But the part of this match that felt so right were the final two varsity matches. First, #2D continued with Dustin really hurting. His right arm, his swinging arm, hurt after the first set (as he's played lots of tennis over the past two days). And after taking the first set, #2D lost their second set. And so, Dustin had to gut through pain to play the third set. And, much like last night, Dustin and Lane came through in the clutch. They were able to become more aggressive, hit through the ball and attack the net. They were able to take the final set, with Dustin hitting awesome volleys as Lane served out the final game. 

Which tied the varsity at 2-2. And Daniel had gone to a third set. Quickly he jumped out to a 2-1 lead, then went down, then got back ahead, and finally, leading at 5-4, Daniel had the opportunity to end the match as a Bruin win. However, after his 4 match points, the score was tied at 5-5 instead of us celebrating with Daniel. 

Recovering from that disappointment, Daniel persevered, strived, and worked to get into a tiebreak. He had a simple strategy when he was winning - drive the ball deep and attack the net. In the tiebreak, his opponent jumped out early. In fact, Andrew Emeigh took a 6-3 lead, meaning Daniel was now facing 3 match points against him. On the first point, Daniel attacked the backhand and was able to force an error on a passing shot. Then Emeigh unfortunately double faulted. Then Daniel attacked again and was able to make it 6-6! He fought off three match points. With the match on the line, Daniel stroked through the ball and won two more points in a row, with the final ball landing wide. Another night, and another 3-2, dramatic, final set tiebreak to win the match for the Bruins.

But what was it like? Well, things felt right. We did things right to win the matches we needed to. We attacked and played through pressure. It also felt right that things came down to Daniel, as he had committed this summer to getting out and playing tennis so much this summer. We got to experience a different member of our family pulling through under pressure, and so it continues to feel like we're doing this together. 

And we are. So then we got to sit down together and eat. Which also felt right :-)

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 4-6, 4-6 - Holden Price (11)

#2S - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 5-7, 1-6 - Austin Pearison (10)

#3S - Daniel Robles - 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) - Andrew Emeigh (11)

#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 6-1, 6-0 - Ben Clarke (11)/Connor Corl (11)

#2D - Dustin Miller/Lane Miller - 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 - Matt DeCloedt (12)/Bill Pawlak (9)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Jackson King - 1-8 - Nate Behrens (10)

#2SJV - Jonathon Yousey - 8-1 - Tristan Ingle (11)

#3SJV - Caleb Shenk - 8-6 - Andrew Coble (9)
#4SJV - Philip Krabill - 8-5 - Koleton Dover (9)

#5SJV - Christopher Craw - 0-8 - Andrew Coble (9)

#1DJV - Liam Bradford/Tommy Nguyen - 7-8 (5) - Trent Eaton (9)/Andrew Eaton (9)

#2DJV - Joel Yoder/Jacob Woolace - 7-8 (4) - Luke Flick (9)/Preston Philips (9)

#3DJV - Braydon Harshberger/Jonah Farran - 8-7 (4) - Kayden Wolfe (10)/Chandler Bridgewater (10)