Growing in Wisdom - South Bend Washington Match

 Scores

#1S - Elias Magatti - 6-0, 6-0 - Eric Bailey (12)

#2S - Eli Steiner - 6-0, 6-1 - Kumari Stone (11)

#3S - No play recorded

#1D - Silas Martin/Lucas Bateman - 6-0, 6-0 - Christopher Sykes (9)/Jacob Mnichowski (11)

#2D - Ender Finnigan/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 6-0, 6-0 - Gio Ambriz (11)/Elijah Smith (9)

I really like the way... South Bend Washington

Video 

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Varsity Recap

Tonight's match was only a varsity match. We welcomed the Panthers on a beautiful night, only to find that 2 or 3 of their players couldn't make it to the match. So rather than having some doubles matches to play, all the matches would be singles matches.

So, after the Panthers ran through their warm-up drills we got right into the match. Noah's opponent was the same that he had played last year. However, this year the Panther #1S had much more consistent and reliable groundstrokes and serve. Noah was able to counter these things with great movement and tempo around the court. In the end, Noah's consistency wore down the Washington #1, like it does to so many opponents.

#2S in this match was Judah. He continued his fantastic play to start the season by serving well and having a very relaxed manner of play. He groundstrokes and serve caused his opponent's contact point to move, and that was a difficult thing for the Panther #2 to deal with. For many players, this dealing with finding a consistent swing while moving to the ball is the next step. Judah was able to draw misses and easily get through his two sets.

#3S was Dominic, and he did a very similar thing to Judah. His opponent was consistently having to deal with the ball coming at different levels, sometimes bouncing high and sometimes dropping in front of him. Dominic did a nice job of staying positive and focused throughout the match. He also won rather easily.

In the end, we enjoyed watching the improvement of the Panthers team. We continue to root for so many of the teams in the area, hoping that the joy that we've experienced with tennis can spread to others.

JV Recap

As the varsity only had three players, there was no JV match tonight.

I really like the way...

This will be a segment of each match report where I'll highlight amazing things - points, efforts, encouragements from the match.

- I really like the way we went through this night together

Tennis is a sport where things change quickly. #1D found out they wouldn't be playing only 40 minutes before the match. Practice matches were made a bit more difficult by people who were feeling sick or just weary. It was girls soccer senior night. So many things were competing for our attention and focus.

And yet... everyone adjusted with GRACE. #1D jumped into a practice match that really challenged them. Coach Daniel agreed to jump in and be a part of that. Malachi and Silas grabbed teammates who they don't usually team up with to do a doubles challenge. After the match was done, Josiah and Aaron invited others to hit around just for fun. Lucas and Isaya jumped in and had a super high quality match against each other.

Then, when it was all over, we gathered across the street from the school at Dominic's house and just enjoyed each other's company. Madden, ping pong, hot dogs, conversations about a wide range of topics... it was a good night. I am GRATEFUL for this group.

Prayer

God, I loved the time that we got to spend with people tonight. With our opponents, with our teammates, with parents of teammates. I am grateful for time where I see these young people thriving in community. That was on display in many ways tonight. Thank You.

Amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Eric Bailey (11)

#2S - Judah Miller - 6-0, 6-0 - Gustavo Perez (10)

#3S - Dominic Ramer - 6-0, 6-0 - Jacob Mnichowski (10)

#1D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - Won by default
#2D - Gideon Miller/Ethan Claassen - Won by default

What We Really Enjoyed 7: South Bend Washington

Enjoy Some Highlights! 

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What Happened in the Varsity Match?

On a strange night, the Bruins were able to sweep a 5-0 victory at the South Bend Washington courts. The weather threatened the whole night, as it has much of this season. There have already been 4 nights where we have warmed up and then gotten rained on. For 3 of those matches we've had to reschedule. Tonight looked like it was going to be another. Just as we were spinning rackets and getting started, the rain opened up and sent us scrambling to the bus. 

For 15 minutes, it misted and dripped and blew with a cold rain. Then the rain stopped and a rainbow came out... (thanks to Ian for the picture :-)

Luckily, the courts at Washington dried up quickly, and about 45 minutes after our warmup, we went back out to the courts and got our matches underway.

The matches themselves didn't have the most amazing points. Washington is a young team, learning and enjoying a new sport for most of them. 

I really loved our serves in this match. The nets at the courts seemed a little bit higher than we've been used to, and it meant that we needed to shape our serves a little bit more. I loved to see each of the players warming up and getting used to the serve. It meant that we got a bit more safety on our serve, and I hope that piece of tonight carries over into future matches as well. 

There were some remarkable achievements in the match, but overall we were able to fairly quickly win our matches. We won 5-0, and each of our individual positions had 6-0, 6-0 wins. 

Probably the closest match was Ian's. Ian's opponent really had the #3S game down, moving quickly and pushing the ball back into the court. This gave Ian the opportunity to move as well... and find a way to the net. I loved a couple of Ian's volleys, one particular backhand one that made the reel :-)

Noah also had some longer points, including a couple that moved him forward and backward in the point. One thing I've noticed about our team this year is our reluctance to "break the baseline." Often we just lean forward instead of moving in. Noah got the chance to move, and did a great job moving his feet forward. 

The other two matches had some weirdnesses to them, but I appreciated this team so much. So, a 5-0 victory for the Bruins!

What Happened in the JV Match?

Unfortunately, there was no JV match tonight.

What Were the Moments of Joy?
These are going to be moments that I saw in the match that were fun, beautiful and memorable! Again, just from what I happened to see :-)

Golden Match

We had a couple of amazing records in this match. Probably most amazing is that Noah played what is called in tennis a "golden match." A golden set is when you win a set without dropping any points. In other words, when you win 24 points in a row. It's extremely rare because usually someone who is achieving that will recognize that, get nervous, and double fault (which is what I did my senior year of high school when I got close to "golden.") But Noah was able to keep up the golden moments, for 48 straight points. It was remarkable, because Noah's opponent was certainly not giving the points away easily. Noah had to scramble and move to accomplish this rare and pretty cool feat. Congrats Noah!

Awesome Points

In the #1D match, there were not many extended rallies. But there was one point that was special and really made the match feel good. After Tristan made a return, the four competitors got into a volley rally near the net. The ball pinged back and forth, much like a drill that we do in practice called "Two Ball." Each of the four players had a chance to hit at least one volley, but the nature of the volley battle was just enjoyable to watch :-)

What Were the Moments of Encouragement?
This segment is where I'll highlight ways that we built each other up during the match or the lead up to it.

Respect

This was not a match was intensity and close scores. But I loved how much respect our players were able to extend. Though the matches weren't maybe filled with the drama that makes tennis exciting, our players didn't get silly or loud or all the things that can happen in these matches. Instead, we remained helpful and as focused as we could be. I appreciated the Washington players as well, who were very complimentary and eager to learn and improve. I really appreciated the way the Washington players encouraged each other as well, helping each other learn and get better before and after the match. 

Let's Take a Moment of Intention

This is a space where I will offer a short prayer for the team.

Lord, thanks for sending the rainbow and clearing away the clouds. I often notice in my life that You clear things up at the precise moment that I need it most. Thanks for Your presence in all things, we are grateful to get to share these beautiful moments on this beautiful earth together. Amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-1 - Eric Bailey (10)

#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-0, 6-0 - Sam Strong (10)

#3S - Ian McHugh - 6-0, 6-0 - Robert Cerradine (10)

#1D - Tristan Mast/Justin Hochstedler - 6-0, 6-0 - Daniel Njoroge (12)/Kalub Klute (10)

#2D - Emerson Landis/Adam Siemens Rhodes - Won by Default

Match Report #9 - South Bend Washington

Instagram Highlight Reel 

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Varsity

South Bend Washington is a team that we picked up last year based on a casual conversation in the hallway between our principal and their head coach. They are a young team, with a dynamic group of coaches helping them learn and love the game. It was so fun to talk to their coaches and hear of their experience in coaching (and in faith, as one coach revealed he is a pastor as well as a coach!)

The match itself was fairly straight forward. We used yet another lineup, moving our strengths around to see what will work itself out best for our team in the long run. This allowed Gideon to get another singles match and Breece another doubles match. Noah moved up to the #1S slot. 

At that #1 spot, Noah played well. He managed his double faults and really worked on footwork and solid hitting. He has able to find a couple of times to come forward and get to the net as well. Gideon also did a solid job against a naturally talented opponent. He found himself able to have some longer rallies, and it was good to see Gideon able to stay patient. 

At the #1D, Breece and Tristan played with simplicity. Simple returns, simple serves. They were able to enjoy the match being out there with one another. 

And that was that for the varsity match. Without a #3S or #2D, we had an early 2-0 lead. Winning the other positions we only dropped one game. But then we were able to simply enjoy our teammates, eating some dinner together and singing. With the match being done early, we were also able to get over and support our classmates, as the soccer team had a winning night as well. It was a good night!

JV Recap

There was no JV match tonight, as Washington unfortunately only had 4 players. But we did have some matches between our own players.

There was some really good tennis being played in these matches, so I really enjoyed watching our guys hitting out and being aggressive with their tennis. I hope these types of things can carry over into the full matches next week!

Moments of Joy
These are going to be moments that I saw in the match that were fun, beautiful and memorable! Again, just from what I happened to see :-)

Ian's Serve!

Ian's serve has been slowly improving throughout the year, but tonight he was really able to rip it. Hopefully this continues to be a weapon for him as he grows throughout the rest of the season. It was fun to watch this stroke tonight.

Moments of Encouragement
This segment is where I'll highlight ways that we built each other up during the match or the lead up to it.

Sarasponda!

I really love our team victory song. I love that it has been something that has continued for almost 20 years since it first began. I love that Gideon was a part of it as a baby and is now part of it again. Tonight it was really fun to sing together and then eat together, celebrating victory. I am glad for all of these opportunities!

Moment of Intention

This is a space where I will offer a short prayer for the team.

God, this was a really fun night to share as a team. May we have more night's like this, simple and joyous, as we face difficulties or as we are able to have moments of lightness. May all things point us toward You!

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0

#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-0, 6-1

#3S - Ian McHugh - Won by default

#1D - Breece Erickson/Tristan Mast - 6-0, 6-0

#2D - Cameron Heinisch/Keagan Meyer - Won by default

Match Report #13: South Bend Washington

Instagram Reel 

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Varsity

What a fun match we had tonight! The story of how the match was scheduled was fun, the tennis was fun, our opponents were fun, and the time together was fun.

This match got scheduled because the Washington coach was visiting Bethany, helping to organize an 8th grade activity for later this fall. When he mentioned that he also coached tennis, Hank swung him by my room to introduce him. We quickly talked about our teams and schedule problems, and he noted that he had a whole team of brand new guys and only had about 7 matches scheduled. We were looking for an extra match, so I was excited to get something on the schedule. Sure enough, we shared an open date and scheduled this match with him before he even left the parking lot.

That was two weeks ago, and when we arrived for the match he was teaching and drilling his team. We warmed up and got introduced and went out to play. Many of Washington's players had barely held a racket before this season, so this was a match where we had much more experience. As a result, the matches went pretty quickly. When we hit big serves or exploded into groundstrokes, the Washington players had difficulty adjusting and getting them back. But it was really inspiring to watch the Panthers learn. I noticed that even in the midst of the match, Washington was picking up things from watching us and from listening to their coach as he taught them. 

JV Recap

There were a couple of JV matches tonight, as Washington had nine total players available. Much like the varsity. we were able to win rather quickly. Tristan learned how to move and swing when the ball doesn't have as much pace, and it was great to see our seniors grab a win after not being able to play on senior night. Justin also got a win. Unfortunately, Adam and Ian didn't get to play as two Washington players were sick on the night.

Moments of Joy
These are going to be moments that I saw in the match that were fun, beautiful and memorable! Again, just from what I happened to see :-)

Breece's recovery

Breece was not serving as well as he liked in the first set of this match. His tempo was off, his swing was a little off. He was frustrated and really feeling pressure because it felt like it was all on him. But we talked at the fence. Breece listened to what I said. And immediately, in his next service game, he mentally recovered. This was joyous to because it is so real. We all have times where the stress of life, tennis, the game, or whatever breaks us down. The response, coming right back with faith, that is what faith and hope are really all about.

Aces

We had so many nice serves tonight. I captured an ace from Noah on the Reel, but Ethan and Austin were basically unreturnable tonight. Matthew, Cam, and Breece all through in a handful of well placed aces as well. It was fun to see us serving them so well!

Moments of Encouragement
This segment is where I'll highlight ways that we built each other up during the match or the lead up to it.

Washington's coach

It is so nice when others notice the joy that this team has. After the match, Washington's coach came over to congratulate us and just to mention what a joy it was to play us. Even though the matches weren't close, he appreciated our attitude and the fact that we talked with his players a bit after the match. I really appreciated his moment of sharing with us!

Moment of Intention

This is a space where I will offer a short prayer for the team.

God, thanks for a really good group of guys. I appreciate their encouragement, patience, and self-control. It doesn't come out in every situation, as we make mistakes like anyone else. But overall, I'm grateful for the way that these men encourage, grow and move in the direction of others. 

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 6-0, 6-0 - Isaias Gonzalez (10)

#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Jonah Glaser (10)

#3S - Ethan Pairitz - 6-0, 6-0 - Zachary Brouillard (11)

#1D - Austin Shenk/Matthew Dyck - 6-0, 6-0 - Jordan Evins (10)/Gabriel Burgin (9)

#2D - Jacob Leininger/Breece Erickson - 6-2, 6-0 - Matthew Williams (9)/Xander Brouillard (9)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Tristan Mast - 6-2 - Izaya Simon (9)

#2SJV - Justin Hochstedler - 6-0 - Maxwell Alvarado (10)

#1DJV - Josiah Schlabach/Jacob Shank - 6-0 - Izaya Simon (9)/Maxwell Alvarado (10)