Fremont Match Report - 2019

Scores

V: Bethany Christian 5, Fremont 0
JV: Fremont JV 5, Bethany Christian JV 4

Photos
Click here for photos from the match.

Varsity Recap
This match had all the makings of a distraction match. It was a team that we had beaten this summer during our camp. We were coming off a dramatic but draining win over Concord. It was windy and had the feeling of a storm in the air. We had won against Fremont 5-0 last year, and probably weren't paying attention to the fact that they returned almost every varsity player and are much better as a team this year.

And at the beginning of the match, the Eagles put it to us at several positions. But again, when faced with challenges, I've been asking our team to relish it. To look for reasons to refocus and fight through. So tonight, that was the challenge.

We had a couple of matches that went relatively quickly. The first match off the courts once again was #1D. Joseph and Nathan really did a good job of attacking and finishing with simplicity. That's probably my favorite thing about these guys right now. They are making things look easy because of their aggressive movement. Only once did they make a fancy winner, when Nathan hustled after a lob and hit a tweener for a winner! They clinched the first point for the Bruins.

Josh also had a fairly quick match. He got out to a great start, playing the Josh tennis that he is known for. This has been his pattern, to jump out to early leads. However, he's had trouble closing the sets and getting victories. Tonight, he was able to come through and finish off the first set 6-1, and even jump out to a 1-0 lead in the second. Then, he got a little tight and began to miss the shots he'd been making throughout the match. But a big factor in this match was Josh's attitude. He was playing with a certain confidence. He was able to grab the lead again and finish it off to give the Bruins our second point.

Now, we needed to find the third point and help me breathe easier. But the Eagles were not making it easy. At #2D, the Eagles were using pinpoint placement of sliced shots to run Will and Tyson around the court. Will and Tyson were hustling, but they weren't really getting to their shots. They were pushing in response to the slice. As a result, Fremont controlled the first set and ended up winning it 6-4.

Braden's match was similar. Braden was hustling, but he wasn't shuffling. Again, his opponent took full advantage of that, using a solid forehand to push Braden into awkward shots. The Eagle #2S also had a big, curving serve that was throwing Braden a bit. As Braden got down 4-1, we had a talk at the fence about endeavoring to find the positives and do the things he needed to, rather than finding any excuses. Braden responded with excellence, coming back to 5-5 in the set. However, his opponent found his footing and finished the set 7-5.

Caleb went back and forth at #1S, traded breaks of serve all the way to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Caleb played with confidence, serving the better of the two players and finding his spots to attack. This suited Caleb well, as he also discovered his opponent's weakness. He was able to win the tiebreak and take the first set.



But as the second sets started, all these matches changed. Caleb appeared to be without energy and belief. But Will, Tyson, and Braden took the chance that a fresh slate offered and ran with it. Will and Tyson began to play with energy and celebration and took a big lead to start the 2nd set. Braden was as solid with his feet to begin the set as he had been during his first set comeback. He also took a big lead. And in these second sets, no one recovered. The Bruins took the sets at #2S and #2D, but Caleb lost at #1S. All three matches were headed to three sets, and we needed to get one of them.

And I loved the way that our guys played the third sets. #2D came out with passion, putting away shots and playing with great footwork and teamwork. They quickly took a 4-0. But even faster was Braden. With Braden's new found movement, his opponent didn't have any easy answers. He instead tried to go bigger and bigger and missed more. And so Braden took the set 6-1 to clinch for the Bruins. #2D followed quickly. And then Caleb followed suit with a beautiful set in which he found his rhythm while his opponent lost all of his. All three positions won the third sets at 6-1.

I was really proud of the way the guys focused in during the big moments and fought back against a great challenge.

Junior Varsity Recap
Speaking of a great challenge, the JV faced one as well. Fremont has so many athletic and young players and this flowed into their JV as well, especially their JV doubles. In fact, one of their #1D players has played 2 years of varsity tennis at Columbia City.

Of course, we have some great young players too. But I challenged them tonight as well. JV matches are about getting experience and preparing your game for many different types of challenges. Another of saying that is that JV matches are about learning. And learning happens when we are taken slightly out of our comfort zone. So, tonight I did that with the lineup. Theo moved to play some singles. Cameron and Austin played their first match together. Matthew and Breece played their first doubles match at #2D and playing together. Chris Craw moved in to play singles for the first time this year. So there were lots of switches, and it certainly challenged our Bruins.

Aaron Shenk responded really well. On Tuesday, he had not been moving very well, and therefore was making too many errors. Tonight, he shuffled and shimmied his feet to get to great contact points, and he didn't make very many mistakes. As a result, he spun to a 8-0 win.

Theo adjusted to singles well also. He rolled to an 8-2 win, going very quickly. It was good to see him play a different style and enjoy it as well.

Other positions learned new things. Chris Craw learned about the importance of court positioning and the yellow ball. Xudong learned that he needs to make sure to move up to the ball. Josiah played a tough match, but also learned to shuffle into his shots.



At the doubles, Cameron and Austin fought against a really good #1DJV team. They looked timid early, pushing some tight serves and setting the ball to the middle of the court. Then they went into boss mode, attacking the net and forcing mistakes. That went back and forth the whole match. They pushed it into the tiebreak, but their they again got their feet in the cement of timidity. They worked hard, but Fremont took the tiebreak.

At #2DJV, Matthew and Breece looked great. They returned well, they took the net, they looked like experienced players. When Breece plays like this I get excited about his future as a doubles player. But Matthew was just stomping forehands today, which was really fun to watch. And then Kam and Jim were incredibly fun at #3DJV. They were moving and hitting and talking and laughing, so fun!

Jacob Shank and Jacob Leininger wrapped us all up. They played against some of Fremont's top guys who were playing back for their second match of the night. While they had several really awesome shots, the Jacobs didn't have enough to truly hurt the Eagles. Movement and confidence continue to be key for us.

In the end, we fell 5-4... but that was only because of the playbacks from the Eagles. I was really impressed with how we dealt with difficulty. Can't wait to see us do this again.



You are accepted.
Before this match even began, I was excited for you. Over the past weeks, we've begun to show little sparks of our character. I am impressed by the way that you care, about this game and about each other. Of course, it is the caring about each other part that matters the most. And I care about you too!

You are sustained.
Tonight, we are sustained by these moments of joy...

1. Nathan's Tweener
I missed this gem, but just one minute after the Fremont coach and I were talking about tweeners, Nathan zipped one past his opponents right down the doubles line. I'm not a big fan of trying these all the time, but I remember in college when I won a point with a behind the back volley. That was over 18 years ago, but I still remember it. Nathan will probably always remember that point, at that is awesome! Plus, the outburst from the crowd who saw it was electric. Such a fun point and memory.

2. Matthew's Forehands
Let's face it, Matthew's forehand returns were 🔥tonight! Every time I looked over at his match, he was smoking a forehand cross court. In fact, he and Breece both played really well. I loved watching players have matches where everything is clicking. It lets us see what is possible. Big things are possible for Matthew :-)

3. Jim and Kameron's Match
There was so much to love in this match. From Kameron's active feet in and before points to Jim's really good groundstrokes, this was a fun match to watch. It included points like the one below, which were a joy to behold. Put it down, Jim!

You are significant.
How have we used our God-given gifts to serve the needs of others?
Tonight, I was super impressed by Josiah. He played a very tough match against an opponent who was getting back even the great shots Josiah hit. Unfortunately, Josiah lost a close match. After shaking his opponent's hand, Josiah's first thought was to run down the courts and pick up the loose balls that his teammates had left behind on the courts. Then he began to pick up the scorecards as well. This attitude and mentality of service is a wonderful trait that Josiah has. I was thankful for him today.

You have achieved.
We recovered from unfocused starts. That is an achievement.
We adjusted to difficult conditions. That is an achievement.
We won a match 5-0. That is an achievement.
We played tennis into the dark. That is an achievement.
Whether we won our match or lost our match, we sang together. That is an achievement.

Prayer
God, one of my favorite things about tennis season are the nights that we hang out together as a team. I love hearing the guys sharing stories, cheering their teammates, coming up with inside jokes, and so much more. For my prayer tonight, I just want to be grateful for all of this. Joy, laughter,

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Caleb Shenk - 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-1 - Ethan Bock (10)
#2S - Braden Bohn - 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 - Nick Miller (10)
#3S - Josh Cartwright - 6-1, 6-3 - Josh Sherbondy (10)
#1D - Nathan Oostland/Joseph Mounsithiraj - 6-2, 6-1 - Evan Towns (11)/Sam Verdin (10)
#2D - Will Nisley/Tyson Miller - 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 - Nick Rutherford (11)/Alex Chilenski (10)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Aaron Shenk - 8-0 - Connor Trobaugh (10)
#2SJV - Theo Siemens-Rhodes - 8-2 - Jeremy Rode (9)
#3SJV - Chris Craw - 6-8 - Brad Wyse (9)
#4SJV - Xudong Sun - 2-6 - Logan Campbell (11)
#5SJV - Josiah Schlabach - 3-6 - Aiden Dornbush (9)
#1DJV - Austin Shenk/Cameron Heinisch - 7-8 (2) - Logan Campbell (11)/Isaac Hirschy (10)
#2DJV - Matthew Dyck/Breece Erickson - 8-0 - Lukas Berlew (10)/Aiden Dornbush (9)
#3DJV - Jim Lyu/Kameron Branum - 8-3 - Dylan Friend (10)/Braiden Gaskill (9)
#4DJV - Jacob Leininger/Jacob Shank - 0-6 - Lukas Berlew (10)/Isaac Hirschy (10)