Jimtown JV Invite - Match Report (by Coach Daniel)

Recap
On arrival I went to the Coaches Meeting and was told that we were playing 8 game pro-sets like normal, even though we'd heard earlier it would be best of 3 sets. I also found out Concord and Jimtown were short on players. Because of this, Northwood's coach (who's been their coach since when I was playing) worked with me to keep matches going throughout the day on the free court between their extra players and ours, which was good because everyone got more experience. That was already kind of our goal, since we had decided to mix up the lineup each match to get in our players anyway. So everyone got to play plenty of tennis.

Round 1 - NorthWood

At #1 singles Ethan played one of his best matches so far. His footwork, which is one of his strengths, looked great and he hit to the corners well. 8-5

#2 singles Jacob Leininger faced a player who attacked the net well. He started to play more loose towards the end of the match but was unable to turn it around completely. 3-8

Playing #3 singles, Tristan started well, covering the court and staying consistent, but as the match went on his opponent stepped up his game and he couldn't stay in it. 4-8

#1 doubles Breece and Matthew were on their game in this one. Breece hit hard serves and aggressive volleys and Matthew ran things down and hit aggressive shots from the baseline. 8-2

The whole match ended up coming down to Kameron and Josiah and #2 doubles and they didn't quite pull it out. But they scrambled well around the court and had some incredible points. 6-8

Round 2 - Jimtown
Matthew played #1 singles in this one. His opponent hit good shots on the run so he had trouble gaining control of points even though his groundstrokes were good for the most part. 3-8

At #2 singles Kameron got to an early lead. He was aggressive while keeping the ball in play, and was able to win this one for me (in his words). 8-4.

#3 singles default win for Bethany

Breece and Tristan played #1 doubles, which was an experiment that half worked. Tristan kept the ball in play and Breece attacked. But the big serves and volleys of their opponents made the difference. 5-8

At #2 doubles Obed and Adam, while outmatched, were able to pull out a game with smart lobs and quick hands at the net. They've both been working hard and getting better every match.

Round 3 - Concord
Back at #1 singles Ethan was up against a tough player and wasn't as consistent as earlier, particularly with serves. He made a comeback but fell short. 5-8

Matthew had a back and forth match at #2 singles. He got up 5-2, down 5-6, tied it at 7, and then lost the last two games which unfortunately meant we lost the match also. 7-9

Ian played #3 singles for us in this one against a frustrating opponent that didn't miss often. Ian moved well and forced some mistakes. 2-8

After strong net play in one of the extra matches, I decided to put Jacob Shank in at #1 doubles with Breece, which worked out. Both of them hit aggressive shots that set up putaways at the net. 8-3

#2 doubles default win for Bethany

Thoughts

Overall strong effort from everyone, but room for improvement everywhere, including me. I realized I wasn't prepared enough and had to get everyone's last names last minute as we got to the courts, and didn't do a good enough job of getting to everyone on the changeovers. But we had fun, learned a lot, and we'll be better going forward.

Moments of Joy
1. A Perfect Set-Up

Kameron barely got to a slice to his backhand, stretched to hit a low one-hander around the player at the net, which set up a Josiah overhead to win the point.

2. Pressure Performance 

In a close service game at ad out, Tristan hit a perfectly placed forehand down the line past the net player to take it back to deuce.

Moments Together
(by Coach Matt)

I came to visit in the middle of the second match, and I was really impressed by how well we were all supporting each other. We were cheering, switch partners for doubles, playing the extra players from other schools... all with really great attitudes. We had said the goal of the day was great experience, and it really felt like we were getting that. 

A Prayer

(by Coach Matt)

God, it was good to see the bonds of the team grow. It was good to see people playing better and better tennis. I pray that you keep us growing. Not only in tennis, but also in our ability to see our teammates. To see when they need us. To see when we can help, when we can joke, when we can listen. May Your Spirit guide us. In Jesus name.

Scores

Round 1 - NorthWood JV 3, Bethany Christian JV 2

#1SJV - Ethan Pairitz - 8-5 - Charles Anderson

#2SJV - Jacob Leininger - 3-8 - Wes Steiner

#3SJV - Tristan Mast - 4-8 - Carson Kirby

#1DJV - Matthew Dyck/Breece Erickson - 8-2 - Skip McCoy/Jaxon Miller

#2DJV - Kameron Branum/Josiah Schlabach - 6-8 - Nick Anderson/Logan Perry

Round 2 - Jimtown JV 3, Bethany Christian JV 2

#1SJV - Matthew Dyck - 3-8 - Dylan Cook

#2SJV - Kameron Branum - 8-4 - Braden Ullery

#3SJV - Jacob Leininger - forfeit win

#1DJV - Breece Erickson/Tristan Mast - 5-8 - Kole Ross/Beau Barhams

#2DJV - Obed Lopez/Adam Siemens-Rhodes - 1-8 - Gage Wachs/Caleb Koets

Round 1 - Concord JV 3, Bethany Christian JV 2

#1SJV - Ethan Pairitz - 5-8 - Sam West

#2SJV - Matthew Dyck - 7-9 - Andrew Kavanaugh

#3SJV - Ian McHugh - 2-8 - Garrett Trout

#1DJV - Breece Erickson/Jacob Shank - 8-3 - Zac Watt/Avery Johnson

#2DJV - Josiah Schlabach/Adam Siemens-Rhodes - forfeit win