Match Report #1 - Jimtown

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Varsity

Check it out! The Bruins are off to a winning start to the season! On a wonderful summer evening at the beautiful Jimtown courts, the varsity were able to scramble out a 3-2 victory. This is always a difficult match, as the Jimmies are close competition to us, and a close one to start the season is tricky. But every position came up with some positive and winning tennis in big moments, even in the two positions we lost.

The match started, and clearly it was going to be a close match. In fact, in the first 15 minutes, the scoreline in 4 of the 5 matches was 3-2. The only match that never really got all that close was Oscar's match at #3S. Oscar was expertly moving the ball around and attacking when he had the chance. He was serving amazingly well, and continued to take advantage of his skills and footwork. He did have a couple of letdowns where his footwork got a little flat, but then he got right back into the flow. That was encouraging, because we always need to learn to recover. He took the win in his match 6-1, 6-1.

The other matches stayed close. As first sets came to a close, Gideon and Ian at #2D and Noah at #2S both pulled away for 6-3 first set wins. Breece was down 4-3 on serve, but then let his serve slip and despite a great long game to get back on serve, Breece lost the first set. At #1D, Tristan and Cameron went back and forth and back and forth. They took a 3-2 lead, then went down 4-3, then went up 5-4. But they could never quite secure a set point. Finally, they surrendered the set 7-5.

So, in two matches we'd won the first set, and in two matches we'd lost. Gideon and Ian looked like they were poised to finish off a straight sets win when they got timid. Their nerves got the best of them as their opponents began to become more consistent. After leading 4-2, they lost four games to get sent to a third set. Meanwhile, Noah also lost his consistent play as his opponent responded to the first set. Jimtown's #2S player attacked with much more consistency and energy, really going after his mid-court balls. Noah just seemed to be on his back foot, and couldn't find any of the point ending shots. Noah got down 0-5, and eventually lost the set as well.

Breece fought valiantly in his second set. His movement looked great, but like Noah, Breece was just missing the final, finishing ball on a lot of points. As the pressure got put on in the point, Breece would lift the ball just long or wide. So many games went long, and Breece determined to keep the pressure on. In the end, he couldn't quite win enough of the close ones to force it into a third set. But I was super proud of how he competed against a player who had defeated him last year.

Meanwhile, #1D was in a barnburner. It was the type of intense match that is so fun to play in. It continued to seesaw, and Cam and Tristan were both coming up with amazing shots. Unfortunately, it was also punctuated with errors as they are getting comfortable with doubles after being singles players last year. But some of their punch volleys and touch lobs were unbelievable. The simple points were certainly the best for them. They were learning as the match went on how to play with simple aggression.

So, it was down to Noah at #2S and both of the doubles teams. We needed to win 2 of these final 3 matches. Cam and Tristan pushed their second set to a tiebreak. Meanwhile, Gideon and Ian came out completely fired up. Attacking, confident, and simple, they used continual smart plays and full shots to build a lead. Up 5-0, Ian served the final game and Gideon ended it with a nice backhand volley.

I turned and went down to Noah's match, where he had built a 5-3 lead behind really smart and positive tennis. A change in his body language had really helped Noah keep his energy high. As I turned to his final game, I found that he was already serving at match point. Noah pulled off a wonderful serve then drop shot combo to finish out the match and secure our team victory!

Cameron and Tristan built a 4-2 lead in their tiebreak, trying to send it to a third set. Tristan served magnificently to build that lead. But unfortunately, as I came back from congratulating Noah, I saw they had lost the tiebreak. But it was a great battle in which Cam and Tristan learned a lot as a doubles team.

So, we celebrated the team victory. It was a great way to start the season!

JV Recap

The JV match tonight was close. Every match had the possibility of going another way. But it felt like we kept getting stronger as the matches went on. Several things made me really happy to see in the JV match. 

Number one, it's always awesome to see people get their very first victories. Freshmen Gabo and Dominic both got their first wins as Bruins in their first match, which is amazing! 

Number two, I really loved the movement and energy of the JV players tonight. Nobody was standing on their heels waiting for the ball. Emerson especially was on his toes, ready for the next shot. That made the difference for Emerson in a match that was really tight.

Number three, it was good to see people playing new positions. Adam and Emerson have mostly been doubles players, while Justin played a good deal of last season at singles. To see people adapt and try new things is to see people grow.

Number four, it was fun to see that we got the win. Several times last year, the JV dropped close matches. So it was super encouraging to see us compete all the way to the end and win!

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 :-)

Gideon and Ian's Scrambling

#2D can be a position of randomness. Random abilities in your opponents, random tactics, players at the net and then suddenly a team that just lobs all the time. Often, the best #2D players can adapt. They can have the ability to scramble through points, taking the smart shot at the right time to the simplest spot. Ian and Gideon did that so many times tonight, lifting up lobs when they were in defensive positions, attacking the net, picking up balls from their feet, finishing with simple balls to simple spots. I love the touch and the scrambling!

Breece's Patience

Breece played a great match tonight. Last year, he lost to this same player 6-0, 6-1. Tonight, he made it much closer by patient and powerful play. Kaler, the Jimtown #1, tried to change tactics several times. Breece stayed calm and smart and played into the new tactics. The match actually ended up being closer than the final scoreline, a couple of key points going to the Jimmies. But Breece's patience and belief was a joy to see. As was his wonderful volleying!

The team's timing :-)

I mean about the end of matches. We had four matches on at the end of last night that would determine the team winner and loser. Dominic and Gabo were playing to see if the JV would win 3-1 or tie 2-2. #2S, #1D, and #2D were on for the varsity, and we needed to win 2 of those 3. And the timing at the end of the match was so fun and perfect. #2D won to give us a 2-1 varsity lead, then seconds later Noah won for the varsity to clinch 3-1. I turned to see if Dom and Gabo were done and they were shaking hands, having secured victory for the JV. So I turned back to #1D and unfortunately they had just lost and were shaking hands as well. But that meant that we could all get together and celebrate the victory as a team, as we sung together on the bus ride home!

Noah's Big Shots

Noah plays a consistent game, but I love how he's stepping in and finding the final ball this year. Several times he was able to step into a short ball and rip a winner. And he would punctuate it with a "C'mon!" It's such a great addition to his game!

So Many More...

Tristan's big serves, Cameron's putaway volleys, Oscar's dominant serving, Justin and Keagan staying positive, Emerson's great movement, Adam's consistency, Dominic and Gabo's growing groundstrokes. everybody had something to enjoy tonight!

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.

Echoes

I loved the energy tonight, especially when the match was tight for the varsity. There were four guys gathered behind Noah's match to cheer him on. There were three guys watching each point for Cameron and Tristan and then watching Gridian as well (and keeping up the nicknaming of doubles teams :-) But I loved the positivity of these interactions. "You got this!" "Great shot!" "Oh, yes!" I loved how you were supporting one another. Teams that are on each other's side are the teams that often can pull out close matches... and even when they don't they are there for each other. I love to see that building.

Moment of Intention

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

Dear God, tonight was a fun match. Not everything went right, we worked through rough patches but played strong games. We kept coming back, kept fighting, kept our heads up. Help us to breathe: breathe in with gratitude, breathe out to get rid of our fear. Keep filling our lungs with Your Spirit, enabling us to see the beautiful things in this world. In our games, in our teammates, in our opponents. Fill us with joy, let that be a defining feature of this team. Amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Breece Erickson - 3-6, 2-6 - Beau Kaler (12)

#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 - Zane Wert (10)

#3S - Oscar Pairitz - 6-1, 6-1 - Dalton Cook (?)

#1D - Cameron Heinisch/Tristan Mast - 5-7, 6-7 (4) - Dylan Cook (12)/Gaege Wachs (12) 

#2D - Ian McHugh/Gideon Miller - 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 - Caleb Koets (12)/Casen Campbell (?)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Emerson Landis - 8-6 - Payton Phillips (12)

#2SJV - Adam Siemens-Rhodes - 4-6 - Payton Phillips (12)

#1DJV - Justin Hochstedler/Keagan Meyer - 8-3 - Lleighton Gingerich (?)/AJ Allen (10)

#2DJV - Gabo Brenneman Ochoa/Dominic Ramer - 8-6 - Lleighton Gingerich (?)/AJ Allen (10)