Match Report #13: South Bend Washington

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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)