Climbing Report 6: Aug. 26 Invitationals

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Varsity Match Reports
After playing some of the better teams in northern Indiana to start this season, what I really appreciated about the Western Invitational was that we were able to play some "normal" teams. These are teams with strengths and flaws. These are teams that have strong positions and weak positions. These are teams juggling their lineups a bit to find out what works. These are teams in the learning process of tennis.

In other words, these are teams like us.

And that gives me some good perspective on the season. Playing Concord, Jimtown, Northridge, Angola, Goshen - many of those matches give us a glimpse of what is much higher up the ladder. Playing Lebanon, Western and LCC gave us a chance to see how to take the next step.

We started out play with Western. My brother coaches their team, and I knew from the beginning that he was going to be missing his #1S player, a perennial All-District player and last year a 2nd team All-State selection. He was taking his SAT. Western was also missing half of their #1D's team at the test, while we were missing Joel Yoder.

So, with some switched around lineups, we started out very strong. Liam secured our first point of the match, playing a fairly evenly matched opponent but really stroking his forehand strong and well. I loved seeing his attitude and belief. Jonathon Yousey followed Liam off the court with a win, playing his style of controlled aggression. We quickly had two points from the top two positions and needed only one more.

Caleb Shenk, playing his first match back from a back injury, provided that third match. I loved his energy and determination - getting through a tight first set and then sailing through the second set as he got more comfortable. His win gave us the team win, even though the doubles had yet to finish up.

But the doubles both found ways to win as well. Jacob and Dustin played an excellent match. In the first set, they had gotten to a tiebreak even though they were playing very tentative tennis. In fact, they had a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreak. Unfortunately, a close call so Dustin's return float long and they went on to lose the set. In beginning the second, I told them to go for their shots early to begin to loosen up. They did. And the second set was not as close. They played much more aggressive and were able to break serve more often to win 6-3. The third set at tournaments is always a super tiebreak, and so they completed their victory in this match with a 10-5 tiebreak win.

#2D also got a tiebreak, and also made a comeback. But their comeback was more emotional than score related. They won their first set and then played an awful second set. They were angry at themselves and feeling pretty down entering the tiebreak. But they reset their emotions and tried to get excited rather than angry. It worked, their level went up and they won a 10-8 decision in the third.

So we beat Western 5-0, and our second match in the round robin tournament was against Lebanon. It so happened that they won their first match as well, eeking out a 3-2 decision over Lafayette Central Catholic. This Lebanon match started out well for us too. Liam cruised through his #2S match, again relying on consistent forehands and deep shots. #1D also cruised to victory, looking very good in the process I must say. Dustin had found an aggressive groove in the first match, and Jonathon was feeling good from his singles victory. So we won the first two matches and were up 2-0. As our last three matches took the court, we only needed one more - and we would win the tournament.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Jacob Woolace ran into another great player at #1S (which pretty much always happens, #1S is a tough position :-) He fought so hard and played so great, but again was on the lopsided end of the score card. Will Nisley got his first varsity match, and he worked hard but couldn't find the finishing stroke in long points at #3S. So that meant the match came down to #2D.

Jonah and Nathan played a good match, they hung in there and competed... but they also couldn't find the finishing stroke. One of the Lebanon players was constantly hunting at the net, and the consistently good volleys from the Tiger team hurt us time and time again. Every time we mounted a rally and got some positive momentum, they would track down a volley and finish the point.

So, with a 3-2 victory the Tiger's were guaranteed first place. And so we finished out the round robin against Lafayette Central Catholic to determine second and third. And we worked and worked and worked, but we just couldn't secure a singles position. All the matches were fairly even, but we were tiring and getting frustrated as the day moved along. The doubles matches were pretty easily in our favor, which was really fun to watch. But we lost this match 3-2 as well.

So, 3rd place in the tournament, but we brought home another win. In the "Climbing Up" section, I'll talk about the things that we need to learn to continue to reach the next rung. But I have to say that I loved how the day ended, as we sat as a team watching Nathan and Jonah wrap up a victory over the #2D's of LCC. We joked, laughed, snacked, took videos and cheered for our brothers. We had made a good day's work, left our best on the court, and were ready to just enjoy each other's company.

That's what I always ask for. Praise God that we were able to get there. And praise God for no more injuries... that's already been too much of the season :-)

JV Match Reports
Coming Soon

Climbing Up (Great Moments of the Matches)
For the rungs in this match, I want to put forth the three things this team needs to do to improve in this season, and some glimpses where I saw this is the matches.

1st Rung - Footwork is the cost of a good shot.
When Liam moves, he is a fantastic player. In his first match against Western, he was really getting forward to balls that fell shorter in the court. In fact, if these ball came to his forehand, he was often able to hit winners. As he got more tired, he began to try to "flick" the ball more, reaching forward and twisting his wrist. These balls went in the net. Footwork is the cost of a good shot. In the Western match, coming forward, Liam blistered passing shots past a bewildered opponent. Movement created that, and it was good. That's our first step.

2nd Rung - Using our whole body to create consistent shots.
Even though footwork puts us in position, we can sometimes still flail at shots with just our arm. This is what was happening to Jacob Woolace in his first doubles match against Western. He would get in good position to hit a return, and then just try to "arm" it over. And the ball kept spinning into the net. Using the special coaching rule at tournaments this year, I encouraged him to use his body. On the next return, he turned his hips with the return. Even though it was a bit of a mishit, it went over and he and Dustin won the point. At deuce, his next service return he turned on a backhand and crushed it down the line. In fact, he rarely struggled with return after this. That's because he learned to use his body to help his arm in returning serve.

3rd Rung - Spend time improving specific weaknesses.
This didn't happen at the match, but I've noticed it this week. Joel Yoder is getting a lot better at his serve. That's because he spends time after practice hitting 100 serves. A big part of climbing up this ladder and getting better is spending focused time on something. If you struggle with your backhand, 100 backhands a day is really going to help. Ditto for volleys, overheads, serves, powerful approach shots... whatever. I challenge you to go above and beyond in whatever area you struggled with on Saturday and start putting in some extra time. Practices are ending at 5:30, so I encourage us to be motivated. Don't you worry I've got practice plans for you.

4th Rung - "Every breath in is gratitude, every breath out gets rid of our fear."
To me, this is near the top of the ladder for Bethany Christian tennis. How to mentally prepare for every point. Three years ago, this was our theme. I keep coming back to it as a way of describing what we need to do between every match, set, game and point. We got too tired and frustrated in our last singles matches on Saturday. We lost hope at some points. Let us instead come to each point with gratitude for being there, and let that gratitude and love drive out our fear.

Scores
Varsity
Round 1 - vs. Western
#1S - Jonathon Yousey - 6-3, 6-1 - Tate Lockwood (12)
#2S - Liam Bradford - 6-4, 6-1 - Palmer Harrell (10)
#3S - Caleb Shenk - 7-5, 6-2 - Braden Freeman (10)
#1D - Dustin Miller/Jacob Woolace - 6-7 (6), 6-3, (10-5) - Mason Anderson (12)/Henry Lerche (12)
#2D - Jonah Farran/Nathan Oostland - 6-4, 1-6, (10-8) - Brady Miller (12)/Clayton Shanks (10)

Round 2 - vs. Lebanon
#1S - Jacob Woolace - 1-6, 0-6 - Michael Wright
#2S - Liam Bradford - 6-2, 6-1 - Drew Davidson
#3S - Will Nisley - 0-6, 2-6 - Daniel Hood
#1D - Dustin Miller/Jonathon Yousey - 6-1, 6-0 - Sam Hood / Thomas Engels
#2D - Jonah Farran/Nathan Oostland - 2-6, 2-6 - Harrison Love / Nick Nies

Round 3 - vs. Lafayette Central Catholic
#1S - Jonathon Yousey - 5-7, 3-6 - Austin Chyall (11)
#2S - Liam Bradford - 4-6, 3-6 - Jonah Switzer (12)
#3S - Caleb Shenk - 2-6, 0-6 - Patrick Gothard (10)
#1D - Dustin Miller/Jacob Woolace - 6-2, 6-1 - Joe Regich (12)/Brenner Oliver (9)
#2D - Jonah Farran/Nathan Oostland - 6-4, 6-1 - Sam Martin (11)/Sebastian Lux (10)

Junior Varsity
Round 1 - vs. Jimtown
#1SJV - Braden Bohn - 8-7 (5) - Andrew Eaton (10)
#2SJV - Philip Krabill - 8-5 - Lucas Flick (10)
#3SJV - Kameron Branum - 4-8 - Christian Vanderworf (9)
#1DJV - Joseph Mounsithiraj/Aaron Shenk - 7-8 (4) - Kayden Wolfe (11)/Chandler Bridgewater (11)
#2DJV - Angel Torres/Chris Craw - 3-8 - Nate Hostetler (12)/Carson ?

Round 2 - vs. NorthWood
#1SJV - Braden Bohn - 2-8 - Ben Vincent (9)
#2SJV - Chris Craw - 8-4 - Tyler Hahn (12)
#3SJV - Jim Lyu - 1-8 - Zach Parisi (11)
#1DJV - Philip Krabill/Joseph Mounsithiraj - 8-6 - Grant Topping (11)/Chase Horner (10)
#2DJV - Kameron Branum/Theo Siemens-Rhodes - 2-8 - Nate Clickovich (10)/Brad Demitruk (9)

Round 3 - vs. Concord
#1SJV - Braden Bohn - 7-8 (7) - Gavin Smith (9)
#2SJV - Philip Krabill - 7-8 (5) - Kayden Cain (9)
#3SJV - Aaron Shenk - 8-2 - Brayden Newburn (9)
#1DJV - Chris Craw/Joseph Mounsithiraj - 5-8 - Jack Steele (11)/Matt Auger (12)
#2DJV - Kameron Branum/Theo Siemens-Rhodes - 5-8 - Kaleb Sotcher (11)/Baily Morrison (9)

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)

Prayers from Western

Match Description
It was a good, if long, day for the Bruins at the Western Invitational. Rain delayed the matches for a bit, and we didn't figure out our best tennis early in the day (when we happened to draw the best team), but this ended up being a very valuable tournament for the Bruins as each position began to figure out what is important for them to play their best tennis.

In the morning, we drew the host school, and my brother and sister-in-law's team, the Western Panthers. This was a team that has started the season 3-1, with their only loss being to Westfield, a large strong school on the edge of Indianapolis. The Panthers almost won the Sectional last season, losing 3-2 to Kokomo in the final. They returned a strong core from that team.

Recently, we haven't been starting our matches out very well. Again, we didn't start out well against the Panthers. Ethan lost another first set 0-6, and Jacob and Byeong both struggled as well. #1 doubles was our exception, coming out sharp and taking a quick 6-1 set. Even though #2 doubles started over an hour after the others (because of waiting for courts), they were not on top of their game in the first set either, hitting too many balls out and not playing with their natural energy.

In some cases, the second set brought some answers. Ethan figured out what he has to do to remain in the attack mode, and that he has to do it even if he's not quite confident or doesn't feel like it. #2 doubles learned that you cannot drop your head ever, because that negative energy just kills a doubles team. In both positions, we're starting to get a really important life lesson: Sometimes, if you don't feel it, you start by "faking" it.

In the second sets at the other positions, things just carried on as normal. For #1D, that was great, and they finished off a wonderful 6-1, 6-2 victory. For Byeong and Jacob, that wasn't as good. They struggled to convince themselves that they could win the match against difficult opponents. Both singles positions slumped to 6-1 second set defeats.

Hopes for the match were therefore pinned on Ethan, and after taking a 3-2 lead, the opposing Panther senior made tactical adjustments. Despite some close games, Ethan lost the final set. #2 doubles finished up their match well, winning a third set tiebreak in dominant fashion, 10-5. But the Bruins were 0-1 on the day with another 3-2 loss.

In the next match, we took on the Northwestern Tigers. As matches were ready to go on, off they went. And so Byeong got started before #2 doubles was even finished with Western. He started off slow against Northwestern strong lefty #1. The two players had similar games except that the Tiger had a massive first serve. Byeong fell behind early in the set, but then broke back and saw the set mostly stay on serve. Again, he was lacking the confidence that he could beat a good opponent.

But then Byeong had his breakthrough. It finally sunk in what Seth and I were telling him about moving his feet and hitting his shots. After losing the close first set, Byeong took control early in the second, taking a 4-1 lead. He finished off the set 6-3 and carried his new found confidence into the third set tiebreak. Taking a 9-4 lead, he almost squandered his handful of match points, but finally forced an error from the tall Tiger lefty to win the match in the tiebreak.

At #2 singles, Ethan had already learned his lesson. From the beginning of the match he was confident and attacking. Using his legs, using his length, he began the match confident. Owning a 5-0 lead, his opponent called for the trainer. Unfortunately, he was experiencing some vision problems and had to withdraw. Still, Ethan had started a match confident, playing how he wanted to.

At #3 singles, Jacob Gonsalves jumped out to a big lead as well. With his feet more active and his serve more on, he was able to force many errors from the Northwestern player. He confidently won in two sets that weren't all that close. #1 doubles and #2 doubles followed much the same courses, though #1 doubles faced some of the best volleyers they'd faced all season. What I loved about this match from Brandon and Simon was the way they played simple doubles. Nothing fancy, just correct and well played.

I left the Northwestern match feeling really good. That was a team that had only lost once coming into our match, and we had finished with a 5-0 win. True, they were without some varsity players, but we had learned some things about ourselves early in the day, and were putting them into practice now.

So at 1-1, we played Lafayette Central Catholic next. This team had just lost it's first match of the season to Western in the round before us. Ethan actually started first for us this time, building a 5-1 lead before anyone else got started. And then the rains came.

After an hour or so of squegeeing off the courts, we finally got to play again. And Ethan started where he left off. With clean strokes and powerful volleys, Ethan got us off with a 6-1, 6-1 win. And Byeong rolled on right behind. With his feet moving and his strokes popping, Byeong managed an easy two set win.

At #1 doubles however, we were facing an undefeated team. And quickly, Brandon and Simon faced their first adversity of the day. Playing poorly and feeling pressured, they went down 1-4 to begin the match.  My advice was simple. Every time they made a mistake they were literally turning away from each other in frustration. I advised, turn to each other, show some energy! And they did, and the whole match turned. From 1-4 down, they took a 5-4 lead. Even when Brandon missed a volley that would have given them the set, they turned to each other and picked it up. It was so fun to watch.

Meanwhile, Jacob was having to fight his own mental battles again at #3 singles. Inconsistent strokes and serves were plaguing him. But he was able to right the ship. Down 3-2, he won 9 of the next 10 games to win the first set and then take a 5-0 lead in the second set. Up 5-0, it looked like it would be an easy win. But all the sudden, Jacob's game changed. With several match points he went for too much power, got too nervous, or served too hard. He was pressing. His opponent stopped making easy mistakes, and suddenly it was 5-4.

After a good talk with Seth, Jacob relaxed and went back to his solid game plan from when he took the lead. In four short points, he had won the set 6-4.

#2 doubles struggled more in the last match. Up against their best competition of the day, they struggled to find the winning rhythm. After losing the first set, they gave way a bit to their frustration. After the match, we reminded them that you always have to keep your head up, never show that frustration, even when you don't feel the confidence. It will come.

And it did for the Bruins on the day. We finished in second place, evened our record up against several great teams. I mean, coming into the day our competitors had 2 losses combined amongst the three of them. So it was fun, and it was great tennis, and it was great to be with the guys.

Prayers

for Jacob
Lord, I pray that you continue to teach Jacob what a strong man You have made him to be. You have blessed him with humor, You have blessed him with skill and we love him. It was great to share a day with him today, to watch him recover and feel better from his sickness, and to have him ride on the squeegee as we pushed the water off the courts :-) Keep working on bringing the best out of Jacob, because he has so much good to give.

for Byeong
God, I thank You for helping the light go on for Byeong today. Keep growing him in confidence and leadership. Keep helping him understand the effort that it takes to be a great player and a great leader. But let him see how rewarding those roles are too. Let him be filled with Your Spirit too, Lord, that he might display to the team the peace that he so often displays. Thanks for Byeong.

for our doubles players
Lord, doubles is such an awesome sport because it mirrors life. A doubles player has a role to play, individual things that they are responsible for, but those things affect the other person he is playing with. The attitude that a doubles player brings onto the court or demonstrates during the match has so much to do with how that match proceeds. Give our doubles players that sheer and savage joy that we talked so much about last season. Let them be examples to the team of how to encourage (and receive encourage) and how to laugh at themselves and how to get together and move on to the next point. But truly, let them see that the life You call us to is much the same... filled with chances to encourage, laugh, make mistakes, be picked up, and keep moving toward You.

for Daniel
Lord, I just want to thank You for Daniel. He brings something special to this team with the energy that he brings to any conversation. I thank You for making each player on our team the way they are, but I was especially thankful for Daniel at this tournament (and on the bus :-)

for the team
May we grow! That's what I love to see, that's what I long to see, that's what I am asking of You. It would be great if our tennis skills and mental abilities grow. But what I really long to see is us moving closer to one another in support and encouragement, and then also moving closer to You. Call us to Your side, Lord, that You can give us all the gifts that You want to. Keep calling us to Your joy!

Moment of Beauty
Lots of great points today. Lots of great tennis, especially once we started figuring out how to play our style - regardless of the opponent. The team that had that figured out all day was #1D, and Simon and Brandon's play was awesome all day long. Brandon's returns were probably my favorite part of the day. Simple, low, and consistent. They were a a simple way of putting on pressure, and something that we could count on all day. Those are the types of shots the whole team needs to start developing. Shots that define who we are because we do them all the time. So Moment of Beauty #1 to Brandon.

For the second moment of beauty, I'll have to give a split "Byeong." #2 doubles both played points that were exactly the type that we've been looking for from them, and I can't ignore either one. In the first match, Jackson opened the match by smashing an overhead right into one of the Western players. It was the type of net aggression we've hoped to draw out of him. In the last match, Lane made safe and smart volleys over and over again, scrambling across the court to flick back a forehand that landed too far in front of Jackson, then recovering for a simple backhand volley down the middle, keeping his hands ready for a forehand volley cross court that got hit by the opponent into the net. That's the type of smart, consistent, active but simple play we've been hoping for. Both deserve the "Byeong," so both get it!

Scores

vs. Western
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 2-6, 1-6 - Pranav Haran (10)
#2S - Ethan Lapp - 0-6, 3-6 - Brody Worl (12)
#3S - Jacob Gonsalves - 3-6, 1-6 - John Sullivan (11)
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 6-1, 6-2 - Chad Gifford (11)/Justin Groothuis (12)
#2D - Jackson King/Lane Miller - 4-6, 6-1, (10-5) - Kolten Gifford (11)/Tate Lockwood (10)

vs. Northwestern
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 5-7, 6-4, (10-7) - Clayton Douglass
#2S - Ethan Lapp - 5-0, ret. - Kyle Douglass
#3S - Jacob Gonsalves - 6-0, 6-1 - Brevin Sanford
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 6-1, 6-2 - Brayden Chou/Michael Harshman
#2D - Jackson King/Lane Miller - 6-1, 6-2 - No Names Reported

vs. Lafayette Central Catholic
#1S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-1, 6-2 - Patrick Tharp
#2S - Ethan Lapp - 6-1, 6-1 - Adam Novak
#3S - Jacob Gonsalves - 6-4, 6-4 - Hunter Hollinger
#1D - Simon Hurst/Brandon Nguyen - 7-5, 6-3 - Colin McNeely/Garrett Kerr
#2D - Jackson King/Lane Miller - 4-6, 1-6 - Luke Seimers/Jonah Switzer