Match Report #5 : Elkhart

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Varsity Recap

This match was so close. We were right there. At three of the five positions, we won the first set. At four of the five positions, we were playing some of our best tennis during the late stages of the first sets, moving into the second sets with moment. Yet, in the end, we couldn't build all the way to the finish line, and lost two close third set matches to fall 1-4.

There were highlights to be found all over this match. Cameron struggled out of the gate, getting down 0-5 and not really playing his normal game. But constantly fighting as he does, he reeled off 3 straight games and had chances to make it 4 before he finally gave way in the first set. He continued his good play in the second set, keeping it competitive and flowing through the points. His opponent had impeccable aim and poise however, and ended up picking up his game by really hitting his spots. 

At #2S, Noah ended up providing the Bruins our only varsity win of the night. He took an early lead with consistency, but soon his Lion opponent figured out how to move Noah around a bit. So Noah had to retake control of the points, and was able to do this by hitting the ball alternately short and long. This combo is one that isn't seen much in tennis. A lot of players focus on side to side, but forget to use the short and long of the court. This combination frustrated Noah's opponent and drew many errors. Though many of the games were tight, Noah was able to stay ahead just enough to never cause too many worries in finishing out the match.

#3S was an excellent match. Ethan really started the match confident. Moving well, striking well, making his opponent scamper around while trying to return the ball. Ethan has great footwork, and when playing confidently, he is an intimidating opponent. With the pressure on, Ethan won the first set. In the second set, Ethan looked less sure of himself. His opponent settled in, mostly just sending the ball over and moving Ethan around, trying to draw misses out of him. As the set stayed tight, Ethan began to struggle with his serve, and it went into a third set. In the third set, Ethan's opponent began well and Ethan was still tight and bothered by his errors. He rallied well, winning two games and making the match much closer, sending the games to deuce. But in the end, it was a long and close three set loss for Ethan.

In the doubles, Breece and Jacob seemed just a little off all night. Their opponents were very aggressive at the net, and Breece and Jacob seemed to really have trouble finding the passing shots or lobs to deal with it. 

But in #1D, Matthew and Austin really played a fantastic match. In their first set, they played with the confidence of their skills. Austin served so well, and Matthew used his weapons as well. They made the simple plays with quickest and sure-handedness. In the second set, the Lions turned up their aggressive dial. They really went for shots, flew around the net, and made it feel like we didn't have a lot of time to hit our shots. And so we made errors, and often they were kind of simple errors. We'd go for too much on cross court forehands, or try flying down the line passing shots. The set slipped by. In the third, we realized our mistakes, but had difficulty finding the range and presence we had in the first set. In the end, #1D's valiant effort fell in a third set. 

In all, it was again another night of good tennis from the Bruins. But it was our first close match of the season, and we needed to be reminded again of what it looks like to keep playing to our best, loose, and joyful level of tennis even in the difficult. I love how much this team keeps moving in the right direction though.

JV Recap

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the JV because of the way the Elkhart courts are set up. We had some close matches (more tiebreaks!) But in general, I got the feeling that this was not the best tennis we've played. That's okay, because in the process of learning and growing there are days that aren't the best performance. The key is getting back at it.

Talking to Ian, we did notice that many of the JV players start off slowly, and then have good second parts of their matches. One reason for that might be focus. We need to start focusing as we warm up for the match, even as we warmup with our own teammates and get stretched out. When we begin focusing, preparing, we put ourselves in the best place to be confident and competitive from the first ball. 

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 :-)

Austin's serve

I don't think I've highlighted this enough, but when Austin's serve is on, his opponent's can't even get it back into the court. During the #1D's match tonight, Austin had whole games where his serve was dominant. Because it is forcing weak returns, even the ones that don't go out are often smashed down by Matthew patrolling the net. It's a really good combo right now. I love it when Austin serves.

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.

Team Laughter

Ethan's match was the last to finish at Elkhart. Ethan was struggling with nerves at the beginning of the final set, but the team moved around to cheer him on. Since he was tight, the guys were cheering for him, but also trying to find ways to make him laugh. Sometimes, we need to just enjoy ourselves and relax. And it was fun to hear the team trying to help Ethan. He certainly did well at the end of the third set, cheered along by his teammates.

Moment of Intention

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

God, I am grateful to be a coach of this team. I am grateful to be moving into the second half of the season soon. I am grateful for the difficult days and the good. Each step gives us new opportunities, opportunities to grow in Your Spirit and with Your fruits. Give us patience and faithfulness in this season, to allow ourselves grace and time to grow and also to stick with it. Especially with encouragement of one another. Thanks. In Jesus name, amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 3-6, 2-6 - Brad Walker (12)

#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-2, 6-2 - Kam Kast (12)

#3S - Ethan Pairitz - 7-5, 2-6, 2-6 - Brady Kelly (9)

#1D - Austin Shenk/Matthew Dyck - 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 - Matt DeShone (12)/Gianni Lucchese (11)

#2D - Jacob Leininger/Breece Erickson - 1-6, 1-6 - Ethan Leazenby (11)/Kaden Kennedy (11)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Justin Hochstedler - 0-4, 1-4 - Nick Hardy (11)

#2SJV - Ian McHugh - 0-4, 3-4 (4) - Ben Weimer (12)

#3SJV - Xayvion Maust - 1-4, 0-4 - Matt Grolich (9)

#1DJV - Jacob Shank/Josiah Schlabach - 2-4, 3-4 (2) - Nikolai Westall (12)/Gavin Sommer (11)

#2DJV - Tristan Mast/Jacoby Reinhardt - 4-1, 3-4 (5), (10-4) - Randall Delafuente (12)/Magnus Bjerke (12)

#3DJV - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 0-4, 0-4 - Ben Miller (9)/Kale Hardy (9)