Tonight was the Bruins "Senior Night." Already, we've come to the last home match of the season. And while this match didn't turn out like we were hoping, these seniors have been a great group of guys who are working hard together. Guys that I can't say enough about! Please, take time to read the things that I wrote about what wonderful people are seniors are:
Varsity Recap
You know, when you lose first set in 4 out of 5 positions, it usually is a sign that you didn't start the match very well. But in this match against the Falcons, we actually started well at most positions for the first couple of games. Braden was in long games at #1S, Josh took a 3-0 lead at #3S, Aaron and Austin and Tyson and Joseph took early leads, and Theo was getting the measure of his opponent.
I was feeling really good when suddenly, across the board, it seemed like we hit a wave of doubt. We couldn't finish out the close points, and because of that, we dropped games quickly at most positions. Josh dropped six in a row to lose the first set. Austin and Aaron dropped four in a row. And unfortunately, that was the story of most first sets.
Something that made me really proud tonight was how we pressed the reset button. Everybody dug in and decided to they could stay in the match, they could refocus. With a couple of game plan changes, Aaron and Austin confidently marched through the second set. Josh got down 3-0 in his second set, but then recovered his feet and style and cut it back to 4-3. Theo took the lead in the second set and found his groundstrokes. I was really proud of those moments.
But unfortunately, we let that wave of doubt creep back up when our opponents picked up their level of play. Credit to the Falcons, as we dug back in, so did they. They found wonderful shots to finish off games or to hold us off. And we made a few too many errors in the end. We lost rhythm and found ourselves focusing on the wrong things - instead of simple, aggressive tennis, we were worried about errors and misses.
In the end, a match that seemed within reach really slipped away. When we began it seemed like we were headed for another 3-2 thriller, one way or another. But in the end, we lost 5-0. Hat tip to the Falcons, and we head back to grow our confidence and movement for the next match.
JV Recap
The JV match was so much fun. I've said several different times here that the JV are continuing to improve every chance they get to play. In fact, it has now been 3 matches in a row that they have won. In fact, they've captured five out of their last six matches.
That energy was obvious tonight, even though we ended in a tie. Stand out matches included a great match from Ethan Pairitz, really bringing out some of his best tennis against Fairfield's #3. Ethan continues to impress with his competitiveness and groundstrokes. When his serve is in gear, he's a tough player to beat.
Also impressive were both doubles teams. Matthew and Breece took a close win over the #1DJV and Josiah and Jacob won the #2DJV in a tiebreak. As we are gaining confidence, we are really starting to close out these close matches. And that is really inspiring. Both teams were able to stay loose and aggressive under the pressure. I really enjoyed the positive energy that they were cheering each other on with.
Other matches were well contested as well. Cameron played a strange opponent who didn't really hit through the court and kept bringing him to the net. It was a long match that Cameron could have pulled out, but he fell in the tiebreak. Cameron got a nice doubles win later. Jacob Leininger also fell in his singles match, but came back later with a doubles win.
Many of our freshmen played together in doubles, and didn't pull out the victory. They have continued to play well, but were lacking the finishing touches on the points. But there was one final doubles match that went well. Our two seniors competing on JV, Kameron and Obed, played together in the last match of the night. Obed joined us just this year, and had yet to win a match. On this senior night, in the last match of the evening, he and Kameron pulled out the the victory that let us tie up the JV match. It was great fun, and so many people were rejoicing to see Obed win.
So, the JV keeps on strengthening as the season goes along. I love it!
Moments of Joy
There was so much tennis tonight, it was hard for me to find moments that stood out. Thinking back, four remain with me.
1. Austin's Backspinning Volley
In the third set of the #2D match, Austin lunged across the middle of the net for a well hit passing shot. He reached out for a backhand volley and kind of scooped under the ball. It cleared the net, bounced, and then spun crazily back over to his side. The rule is that the opponent has to make contact with the shot, and the Fairfield players now had no chance :-) So winner for #2D!
2. Josiah and Jacob's Great Net Play
In doubles, strategy #1 is to control the net. And in their doubles match tonight, Josiah and Jacob really controlled the net. That put considerable pressure on their opponents, and it was fun to see them push to stay aggressive even in a tiebreak. In the end, it was Jacob's simple forehand angles and Josiah's powerful smashes that made the difference. So often in a tiebreak, the team that stays aggressive and simple is the team that wins it!
3. Obed's First Win
I'm so glad that Obed was able to close out a victory in his last match tonight. It means so much to me to have everyone experience the fruit of their improvement, and for a senior who just started playing tennis in his senior year, this was so fulfilling for me.
4. Senior Night
I have so much respect for our seniors, and I will miss having them on the team. I get nervous about not having the right words to show how much I appreciate them. I hope we all realize what wonderful seniors we have had this year.
Moments Together
My favorite moments together are when we are honoring each other. So having you guys sitting around and clapping for our senior players in the dark, illuminated by the headlights for our parents cars... that was a great moment.
Prayer
Lord, thanks for these guys. Help me to see the ways that you speak through them to me and to the team. Be with us as we continue to grow and prepare. Be present and noticed as you provide us with the fruits of Your Spirit, leading us into Your joy. Amen.
Scores
Varsity: 0-5
#1S - Braden Bohn - 1-6, 0-6 - Colin Hochstedler (12)
#2S - Theo Siemens-Rhodes - 1-6, 4-6 - Kaden Plett (12)
#3S - Josh Cartwright - 3-6, 4-6 - Cooper LeCount (9)
#1D - Joseph Mounsithiraj/Tyson Miller - 6-2, 2-6, 2-6 - Lance Martin (12)/Mick Moore (10)
#1D - Joseph Mounsithiraj/Tyson Miller - 6-2, 2-6, 2-6 - Lance Martin (12)/Mick Moore (10)
#2D - Aaron Shenk/Austin Shenk - 2-6, 6-1, 4-6 - Ethan Yoder (12)/Brandon Kauffman (10)
Junior Varsity: 6-6
#1SJV - Cameron Heinisch - 6-7 (7) - Dylan Yoder
#2SJV - Jacob Leininger - 2-6 - Seth Yoder (10)
#3SJV - Ethan Pairitz - 6-2 - Brady Cripe (11)
#4SJV - Justin Hochstedler - 2-4 - Chase Buckholz (9)
#1DJV - Matthew Dyck/Breece Erickson - 7-5 - Noah Hostetler (11)/Keegan Pressler (11)
#2DJV - Josiah Schlabach/Jacob Shank -7-6 (6) - Ryan Keller (12)/Collin Troyer (11)
#3DJV - Kameron Branum/Obed Lopez - 3-6 - Luke Holsopple (10)/Evan Mathews (10)
#4DJV - Tristan Mast/Ian McHugh - 2-6 - Aiden Bender (9)/Miles Nine (9)
#5DJV - Justin Hochstedler/Adam Siemens-Rhodes - 1-6 - Noah Mast (9)/Mitch Miller (9)
#6DJV - Cameron Heinisch/Ethan Pairitz - 6-0 - Colton Troyer (10)/Ryan Yoder (10)
#7DJV - Jacob Leininger/Matthew Dyck - 6-4 - Garrett Dunlap (11)/Landon Miller (9)
#8DJV - Kameron Branum/Obed Lopez - 6-1 - Caleb Miller (10)/Braden Frye (9)
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