What We Really Enjoyed 12: Varsity Week of Sept. 18-22

 Enjoy Some Highlights!

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What Happened With the Varsity?

Well, this was a super busy week for Bethany tennis. Rather than sit down each night and plunk out a match report (for basically every day of the week!), I figured I'd make on giant one. Hitting the highlights, you know?

Monday, the teams took on Fairfield. The varsity for Fairfield is the #7 ranked team in the northeast Indiana district of tennis. That simply means they are very good. And the Falcons were a really good team. Our team came out with a lot of energy, and all of the matches were close in the first moments. Ian at #3S played some great tennis, counter attacking and finding ways to make life difficult for the Falcon #3S. Gideon stayed in long rallies. #1D had many opportunities to close out their games. 

Despite great early play, as the matches moved on we began to lose a bit of momentum. Too many missed opportunities began to deflate us rather than encourage us. As we slumped, our level of play dropped as well, and we didn't produce as many opportunities. There were exceptions to that... Noah had his slump in the first set and recovered to play a competitive second. #2D were similar, finding some resistance and not allowing the Falcons to just walk to the second set. And Ian stayed right in the match until the end, but couldn't quite find the answer to the attacking shots played by the Falcon opponent. In the end, the Bruins started out the week with a 5-0 loss.

Tuesday, we prepped to play Fremont. But as has been the case all season long, as soon as we stepped on the courts we brought the rain with us. 5 minutes of warmup turned into calling the match off. We enjoyed a strategy session, some YouTube highlights (Bryan Brothers, Gael Monfils, Will Ferrell?) and a wonderful meal provided by some of our awesome parents! Then is was on to Wednesday.

Wednesday saw us face a young Jimtown team. The Jimmies were supposed to be our first opponent of the year, but we got rained out just after our warmup. Then we were supposed to play them in the second week of the season, but we were postponed again due to excessive heat. So finally, we got to put this match onto the courts. 

This was a match where we began to really see our best tennis come together. Both Noah and Gideon at #1S and #2S faced really talented opponents. They had to dig deep to return big serves or play out long points. This tested both of those players mentally, having to dig deeper and face some doubts and respond from stretches of poor play. But, both Gid and Noah can persevere so well. They moved well and took their chances at big moments, returning to their best styles of play and focusing on how to play well. Noah pulled away in the second set, while Gideon broke the big serve of his opponent to win his final game.

The other positions against the Jimmies took control early and didn't look back. Ian continued whipping forehands and using variety to stymie his opponents. He especially found good success with attacking shots in this match. #1D controlled the net very well, despite having some flat-footed shots. They also used their serves really well to control each set. #2D was really in their element. Their positivity and movement set them up for some easy finishes. Really loved seeing that!

With these great performances, the Bruins were able to wrap up a 5-0 win.

On Thursday, we traveled to the #8 team in our district, our second ranked matchup of the week. Against the Lions, we came in with good confidence from our Jimtown match. It was also a perfect night to play tennis - moderate temperature, no sun in our eyes, and no rain in the forecast. We kept up our good play in this match, really putting pressure on our opponents.

Each of the matches on Thursday were a story in their own way. We'll explain them in the order they finished...

#1D was the first to finish. With some injuries in the lineup, Elkhart had adjusted their normal playing order to put their regular #3S player at the doubles tonight. Though he's a freshman, he's a really good player. This Elkhart doubles team became an interesting one as it had very strong groundstrokes and decent volleys. This made it harder for us to comfortably take the net. We challenged this team early, but dropped off late. We'll improve on that mark in the future, but tonight, this was the most straightforward of the matches.

#2D was the second match off. Adam and Emerson got down early in this match, 3-0, but they never stopped competing. They were moving in excellent ways tonight, and their skills really compliment one another. They closed to 3-2 and it was game on. From there, the first set stayed nip and tuck. I really loved the positivity we played with. Adam's serve kept causing problems, as did Emerson's. Both serves were setting our net players up for simple finishes. The energy and liveliness of our feet helped us stay on top, after a nervy game trying to serve it out at 5-4, we ended up taking the first set 7-5. In the second set, the Bruins maintained their momentum, taking a large lead and finishing off our first team point.

#3S was a similar story. Ian led throughout a tight first set. Ian was playing against one of the JV players called up to fill in for some of Elkhart's injuries. Ian was playing, again, some of Ian's best tennis. At the end of the first set, there were some really tight moments. Ian found that shots driven or driving toward the feet of the Lions #3S were the most effective. In the big moments, Ian sliced and then drove the passing shot to the feet. Ian closed the first out, and then road that momentum to a big second set lead. From there Ian eased to victory, our second point.

So we needed one more between Noah at #1S and Gideon at #2S. These matches were very tight, with really good play from all four singles players. But Noah has been a consistent strength for the Bruins this season, with Gideon right behind him. They've won close matches, so we were confident we could get one. Noah began his match strong, but then battled nerves all through the first set. His opponent attacked the net again and again, and Noah got a bit hard on himself. After dropping a close first set, Noah turned it around in the second set, finding the passing shots with placement right near the end of the set. With this strategy unlocked, and his consistency wearing away at his opponent - Noah played a dominant third set. His precision won the day, and the third point for the Bruins. 

Which was good, because Gideon's match didn't even finish.

That's right, Gideon went so late we ran out of light. Gid had won the first set with really consistent tennis, but also timely attacks and counter attacks. In the second set, Gideon had gotten too conservative and lost the pace on his shots. He had fallen behind and then made a desperate comeback that fell just short of tying up the set. In the third set, the pattern repeated. Gid lost just a touch of pace on his shots, and that allowed the Lion #2 to attack. But down 5-1, Gideon loosened up and found that bit of pace. He knocked in a couple aces, he kept the rallies long and found passing shots. He pulled the set back to 4-5 and was getting ready to serve when it was too hard to see the ball anymore. The funny thing is, this is the second year in a row that Gideon didn't get to finish against Elkhart :-)

Still, what a way to end the school week of competition, a great win over a really good team. One regular season match left for the varsity!

What Were the Moments of Joy?

Noah's Game to Close Out Second Set Against Elkhart

Need to win a close game? Bang three straights service winners and that'll do it for you. That's exactly what Noah did to close out the second set. Two aces and an unreturnable serve. It was energizing and electric!

Gideon's Returns Against Jimtown

Jimtown's #2 boomed serves. He was one of the hardest servers we had seen all season at any position. And Gideon stayed really positive attacking his serves. He kept himself moving forward and deflecting the pace back into the middle of the court. He was able to found a lot of breaks of serves despite the weapon that it was. It was joyful to see him stay determined against such a weapon.

Adam's Angles and Emerson's Overheads

This week, Adam has really learned to make the best use of his shots by finding angles. He's doing a great job of dipping the ball to people's feet and keeping the ball low. This has enabled Emerson to really get a lot of balls popped up to him at the net, which he has done a great job smashing away. This happened time and again through Jimtown and Elkhart matches.

Ian's Passing Shots

Speaking of dipping, Ian is becoming a master of the dipping passing shot. Because Ian's game is so consistent, opponents are looking for ways to attack. They try to bring Ian to the net and are disappointed, as Ian has great touch. They try to come to the net themselves, and Ian finds their feet with a driven ball. It's been great fun to watch Ian succeed, which happened a lot in all Ian's matches this week.

Tristan and Justin's Down the Middle Volleys

Tristan and Justin have a couple of really good plays in their arsenal. One really good play is a sweeping serve out wide followed by a volley through the gap that serve has created. I love watching that happen. It is such a thing of simple beauty, and they both have the serves to do it. 

What Were the Moments of Encouragement?

Confidence

My favorite moments this week were moments where the Bruins gave each other confidence. I loved watching Adam and Emerson encourage one another during their matches. I loved watching the team give Noah energy at the end of his match against Elkhart, or giving Dominic their cheers against Jimtown, or standing on the tower at Fairfield encouraging Gid, Ian, Ethan and more. To hear from our teammates gives us confidence, and that was awesome!

Let's Take a Moment of Intention!

Lord, I'm grateful for this great week with the team. We faced some difficult opponents, but we found lots of ways to stay positive. Thanks for that grace. Thanks for the wonderful weather. One rainout was maybe a blessing for our bodies when there were four straight matches scheduled :-) Please, help us turn to one another in the last weeks of the season, to experience joy together. Amen.

Scores

Fairfield 5, Bethany Christian 0

#1S - Noah Schrock - 1-6, 3-6 - Garrett Stoltzfus (11)

#2S - Gideon Miller - 1-6, 1-6 - Cooper LeCount (12)

#3S - Ian McHugh - 3-6, 3-6 - Chase Buckholz (12)

#1D - Tristan Mast/Justin Hochstedler - 1-6, 1-6 - Noah Mast (12)/Brant Garber (10)

#2D - Adam Siemens Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 0-6, 2-6 - Grady Garber (10)/Drew Beachy (9)

Bethany Christian 5, Jimtown 0
#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-3, 6-2 - Zane Wort (11)

#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-3, 6-4 - Dalton Cook (10)

#3S - Ian McHugh - 6-1, 6-1 - Leighton Gingrich (10)

#1D - Tristan Mast/Justin Hochstedler - 6-1, 6-1 - Scott Harris (12)/Chase Clay (11)

#2D - Adam Siemens Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 6-0, 6-1 - Kamden Flores (10)/Braydn Warp (10)

Bethany Christian 3, Elkhart 1

#1S - Noah Schrock - 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 - Brady Kelly (11)

#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-2, 4-6, 4-5 - Ben Miller (11)

#3S - Ian McHugh - 6-4, 6-2 - Cortland Keim (10)

#1D - Tristan Mast/Justin Hochstedler - 2-6, 0-6 - Logan Kelly (9)/Cam Miller (9)

#2D - Adam Siemens Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 7-5, 6-2 - Lucas Karbalacali (10)/Hayden Holdeman (10)

Match Reports # 17 & 18: Wabash Invitational

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Varsity

What a great weekend it was. The rain went away just in time to start our drive down to Wabash, a beautiful drive through rural Indiana that I enjoy every season. There always seems to be a crispness, a newness, to the air and temperature when we arrive at this tournament each season. It's also a tournament that I've traditionally been able to bring some of my sons to. And so that all adds up to really enjoyable days!

Unfortunately, one of the teams scheduled to compete had to pull out of the tournament at the last minute. So instead of three matches we only got to play two. But those two matches were great. We were able to defeat both Wabash and South Adams 5-0 and win the tournament! But more than trophies, each player of our varsity roster was presented with a challenge, a growth moment, somewhere in their matches. And it was good for them to face those and see how they could overcome or learn from them. 

At #1S, Cameron was presented with the challenge of finishing things off. Sometimes in close matches, the hardest thing to do is finish. Finish points, finish games, finish the match with a win. For Cameron, his first match started out a breeze. He won the first set 6-0 and was playing really well. In the second set, his opponent through everything he had into the match. The Wabash player served with much higher accuracy and aggression. Behind this he began to attack.  The Wabash #1 took the early lead in the second set, 2-1, and Cameron had to win a 12 minute epic fourth game to keep the lead from growing to 3-1. When Cameron tied it at 2-2, it seemed as if he would breeze to the match victory. He went up 5-2, but his opponent dug in again. Going for broke, he forced Cameron onto the defensive, and Cam lost two straight games to make it 5-4. Now, Cameron had to finish under pressure. It was a nervy next game, because Cameron couldn't just dink the ball in and hope for errors, he had to stay aggressive. But the close scoreline made aggressive shots even more scary to swing for. Cameron was able to swing through and finish. 

This knowledge served him so well in his next match. Against South Adams, Cameron fought out a tight first set, pulling away at the end to win 6-4. But in the second set, he finished with aggression. Cameron controlled the points and just kept on taking his chances. He had learned from his first match and the challenge it provided.

For Noah, his challenge was different. His matches were not close, so they didn't provide that nervous energy. But he was playing inexperienced players who were emotionally all over the place during the match. One of the under-talked-about aspects of tennis is the emotion side. You deal with your own emotions but also have to deal with those of your opponent. Noah's opponents were alternately frustrated, angry, surrendering, listless, or motivated. This roller coaster was one that Noah needed to navigate with grace. The matches were an opportunity to play hard, stay focused and still have love for these opposing teams who were competing hard. This was a good challenge for Noah to rise to.

Ethan's challenges to navigate were the disruptive strokes of his first opponent and some difficult line calls. In tennis, there are always times that you think you've struck a ball in and your opponent calls it out. Sometimes it is a mistake your opponent has made, sometimes you just didn't see the ball clearly and it was really out, and you are the one who is mistaken. Either way, you can't change the call and you just have to play the next point. You have to find a way to refocus, be positive and give your opponent the benefit of the doubt. Ethan also had to find a way to stay in his rhythm despite his opponents playing with a very different pace and arc to their shots. This is a good challenge that Ethan made progress on today, along with playing some great tennis.

#1D was asked the question of how to regain rhythm when it has fallen away. In their second match against a talented South Adams team, Austin and Matthew took a large lead in the first set. They were playing and serving and volleying brilliantly. But suddenly, that kind of left them. They were tentative, or out of position, or their aggressive shots would fly long... just a little off. And suddenly the Starfires began to creep back into the match. Going from a lead of 5-1 to 5-4, #1D was able to grab the set, but then the out of rhythm play began again. Down 3-1, they rediscovered some confidence. And the whole match changed. They didn't lose another game as they clicked back into gear. Now that they've seen this transformation take place, now that they've refound their rhythm mid-match, they know they can do it again.

#2D had a similar thing take place. Breece and Jacob were high energy all day, provided cheers and vocal encouragement for each other and for the team. This is great, because high energy is when they play their best! But at the beginning of their fourth set of the day, their movement and energy dipped. Their opponents found some energy and put together a great couple of games to make the set really close. After winning sets easily most of the day, Breece and Jacob found themself in a tight set, up 4-3. We didn't want to go to a tiebreak, so it was imperative that we find some energy again. And in a great service game from Jacob, Breece moved all over the net and met the challenge.

We weren't perfect in meeting the obstacles through the day. We never are. But I was so glad to see us working through them. I was so glad that Judah got to be part of the day, watching these guys grow, encourage, and then celebrate together. They challenges made the trophy even more sweet. Proud of this team and what we've accomplished through the year! And this day was so much fun!

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 :-)

Noah's topspin finishers

In Noah's first match, Noah was his consistent self and that was too much for his opponent. The same was true in his second match. But we've continued to work through the year on adding weapons to the consistency - weapons that can be unveiled in big points or big moments for big effects. In both of his matches, Noah was able to bring out these weapons on match point, finishing the matches with one simple shot.

Austin's out wide ace to begin his match

From finishing matches to beginning them, Austin started his first service game of the final with a huge ace, swung way outside to his opponent's forehand. This statement of good service had an impact on the whole match, as his opponent knew he had to get out wide and cover it. This allowed Austin to serve into the backhand and into the body the whole match. Plus, aces are always fun!

Jacob's scrambled net cord winner

And sometimes, beautiful moments and just pure luck. In #2D, Breece hit a volley out wide that forced his opponent to make an adjustment on the run. His opponent switched hands, normally right-handed, his opponent flicked the ball with his left hand for a lob right over Breece and into the backhand corner. Jacob was moving quickly, but couldn't get a clean hit on the ball. With a flick of the wrist, the ball looked like it would barely get over the net, and be slammed down if it did. Instead, it clipped the top of the net and bounced sideways, squirming away from the opponent who had been poised to cover it. It was completely lucky, but still a point that was produced by hustle. Hustle sometimes gets rewarded in these weird ways.

Cameron's passing shots

All day, Cameron's opponents seemed to decide that attacking the net was the way to beat him. But Cameron's passing shots were so nice all day. He was able to find angles, lobs, and spots that just kept his opponents having to come up with difficult volleys. These shots also gave us winners to cheer for, which...

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.

The team cheering for Cameron

At the end of the day, there was only one match left on the courts. It was late, we had secured the victory and many wanted to go home. But instead of losing attention, the team gathered under the pavilion at the end of the courts and cheered Cameron on to his final victory. It was a great win for Cameron, important for him to pull one out that he knew that he could. And the team continued to give him energy or his good shots. It grew and grew as the match continued. I love watching the encouragement grow.

Moment of Intention

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

Lord God, as we come to the end of the regular season, I am so glad for this team to have another day of victory. It has been amazing to watch this team grow. It has been amazing to see the way they have continued to believe in the building up of one another. It is amazing all You have done. Thank You that we can play from a place of security within Your love. May we give that blessing to others as well. Amen.

Scores

Bethany Christian 5, Wabash 0

#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 6-0, 6-4 - Ewing (11)

#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Baker (9)

#3S - Ethan Pairitz - 6-2, 6-1 - Sellers (9)

#1D - Austin Shenk/Matthew Dyck - 6-1, 6-2 - Dinkins (10)/Spalding (9)

#2D - Jacob Leininger/Breece Erickson - 6-1, 6-2 - Harner (11)/Coffman (9)

Bethany Christian 5, South Adams 0

#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 6-4, 6-1 - Connor Hyman 

#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Brayden Grandlinard

#3S - Ethan Pairitz - 6-1, 6-0 - Dulce Sabio

#1D - Austin Shenk/Matthew Dyck - 6-4, 6-3 - Camden Hyman/Alec Neuenschwander

#2D - Jacob Leininger/Breece Erickson - 6-1, 6-3 - Caleb Selking/Will Mawhorr

#05 - The Right Direction

On Tuesday, our varsity played an excellent tight match to turn things around in the season. Tonight, we concentrated on heading in the right direction. Playing our style, with confidence, and continuing to stay focused no matter the score or match situation.

The most obvious match to see this improvement in was Abe Thorne's. After losing on Tuesday to a very consistent, non-hard hitting player, Abe dedicated himself to focusing on his mental game and his smaggressive play. Today, matched up against a freshman playing in much the same style, Abe stroked his way to an easy 1st with volleys and well placed topspin balls. In the second set, he faced some adversity as he got down early, 1-2. But riding his early smart ball, he began to angle off the volleys and control his serve, and recovered to not lose another game.

That was Abe's first victory on the season, and another Bruin picked up their first as well. Ike Lehman grabbed his first victory in a very well played patient match against fellow senior Glen McClain. Ike used a consistent first set to exploit McClain's weaker backhand, but the second set tightened up as Ike had trouble breaking McClain's serve. However, Ike came through with clutch service games of his own, sending the match into a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, tied at 3, Ike came up with the shot of the night. With McClain at the net, Ike was sent far into his forehand corner. On a dead sprint, he whipped a sliced forehand with a wrist flick that just barely cleared the top of the net. McClain couldn't handle the low ball, and Ike took a 4-3 lead. Growing in confidence in these tight situations, he went on to pound an overhead at match point for a two set win.

Also grabbing two set wins were Nathan Brendle and #2 doubles, Hans Miller and Joel Gerig. They both played similar matches in that at any point, their opponents would hit amazing shots. But these three just played consistently better. And the #2 doubles victory sealed the match for the Bruins.

#1 doubles played on, but they couldn't quite pull out the victory. Little mistakes in crucial times still seem to bother this team, something we'll iron out as the season goes on. It was a great match.

In the JV, the top positions cruised. #1 and #2 singles and doubles all had easy victories, giving Landon, Tristan and Neel their first victories of the season. The story of the day at all these positions was that we were just more consistent, something that hasn't been able to be said all year to this point. Another step in the right direction!

Notes & Stats
- Nate now has the most varsity victories with 4, Hans also has a winning record at 3- 1. But every player who has played a varsity match this season now has 1 victory (at least).

- Sol Brenneman, Justin Zehr, and Wade Troyer lead into the JV with 2 wins each.

- Nate continued the trend of long matches at Fremont, short ones here at Bethany. What an effort from him tonight, he thoroughly controlled his match.

- The JV match came down to the last team on the court, Delan Schrock and Jacob Rudy-Froese. After losing the first 5 games, they mounted a short comeback and won the next game to go to 1-5, then had a game point to go to 2-5. But they couldn't keep it up, and we lost JV 4-5.

- We won the JV 5-4 last year in a similar circumstance. Neel Bhagat and Luke Schrock won the very last match to seal it for us.

- Tonight was the first time we sang "Sarasponda" on our courts after a win this season. We were shocked to find out that the freshman had never learned this song in choir! 

- Our new jerseys came yesterday and we tried them out tonight. Looks like good luck! Check out all their majesty:

And I love Joel's goofy grin :-)

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Nathan Brendle - 6-0, 6-1 - Tyler Jenkins (12)
#2S - Ike Lehman - 6-2, 7-6 (5) - Glen McClain (12)
#3S - Abe Thorne - 6-0, 6-2 - Logan Miller (9)
#1D - Himal King/Parth Patel - 6-7 (4), 4-6 - Brandon Miller (12)/Tanner Frye (12)
#2D - Joel Gerig/Hans Miller - 6-2, 6-0 - Mason Kolberg (11)/Drew Sullivan (10)

JV
#1SJV - Sol Brenneman - 6-1 - Mitchel Long (9)
#2SJV - Tristan Clark - 6-0 - Kyle Boekhout (10)
#3SJV - Ethan Lapp - 3-6 - Brandan Arnos (9)
#4SJV - Jack Erlacher - 3-6 - Jeremy Seller (9)
#5SJV - Paul Krabill - 0-6 - Derek Fischer (11)
#1DJV - Wade Troyer/Landon Weldy - 6-0 - Derek Fischer (11)/Jordan Sanderson (11)
#2DJV - Justin Zehr/Neel Bhagat - 6-2 - Hunter Jump (9)/Connor Mchann (10)
#3DJV - Roberto Ramos/Noah Hochstetler - 2-6 - Mitchel Long (9)/Kyle Boekhout (10)
#4DJV - Delan Schrock/Jacob Rudy-Froese - 1-6 - Jordan Sanderson (11)/Jeremy Seiler (9)