Match Report #2 - Northridge

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Varsity

This was a great opportunity for our team. We knew going into this match that Northridge was a talented, experienced group of varsity players. We knew that winning any match would be difficult. We knew from summer league matches that they hit the ball hard, and we would need to react.

And our response to this was mixed. We didn't always play like we wanted to against this strong team. But we did each have segments where our play was like we wanted. Breece started out really well, serving strongly and finding some great passing shots. It really looked decisive and full of belief. As the #1S match went on, his opponent found a great stretch of play. He was hitting winners and making few errors, and Breece started to miss by the smallest of margins. Breece never got back to the level he had at the beginning of the set.

For Noah at #2S, he was opposite of Breece. He didn't start on his A game. Noah was missing shots he normally makes, and his opponent was also finding a lot of winners. Beginning the second set, Noah found the way that he wanted to play. He got a lot of balls back into play and was finding the finishing shot that either put the pressure on or finished the play.

Finishing the play was the big deal for Oscar #3S. Oscar was hanging in most of his rallies, that would last a while until Oscar got a finishing ball. Then Oscar it would come down to whether those shots were going in or not. Oscar was seesawing back and forth with these shots, having games and runs of points where he was finishing. The second set saw some really great rallies, but Oscar couldn't quite keep the finishing going.

At the doubles, the first set for Cameron and Tristan was great tennis. They were serving just the way they wanted to. They were on their toes, playing with belief and decisiveness. It was really amazing to watch. The first set stayed really close as they found the angles, lobs and passing shots to challenge the Raiders. The first 8 games of that set was exactly what Cam and Tristan want to play like. 

But we don't always get what we want, and at the end of the set, Cam and Tristan's best play deserted them for a few points. Those few points turned the momentum, and the Raiders began to really be in charge of the match. A couple of good points in a row could have turned it right back for us, but we couldn't find those at the big points - the break points, the game points, the deuces all seemed to go the Northridge way.

And #2D was actually similar to Noah's match at #2S. They didn't start with energy and belief, but found some going into the second set. A big part of tennis is continual readiness, early preparation, and forward momentum. Gideon and Ian got this going a bit in the second set. But we still have to work on playing against power and pace. But they are going to get there. We all are.

So it was a 5-0 loss. Onward. Forward.

JV Recap

This was the match that kept going and going and going :-)

Northridge had 17 JV players, and we had 6, so our guys got to play a lot of tennis. At the top positions, the Raiders did a great job of controlling the points. Our #1DJV team of Adam and Emerson actually competed well in each game, but had a couple too many errors in decisive points. Justin at #1SJV had long games as well, but kept missing out on the points to seal the games. 

But as we started playing our second and third matches, we began to see better play. It's like we settled into the match and began to play the way we wanted to. Keagan was crushing groundstrokes, Gabo was scrambling around to get everything back, Justin was hitting passing shots up the line, Dominic was smacking forehands, Emerson was serving beautifully and putting away volleys, Adam was finding the perfect lobs and smacking away hanging balls at the net. 

Seeing this play didn't guarantee us wins at every positions, but we did pick up more games and wins as the night went on. The final match went to Justin and Gabo as they finished off the Raider's 7th doubles team of the night! Emerson and Adam also won their final 3 matches of the 4 (!) they got to play. That ended well.

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 :-)

Dominic's Forehand Attack

Dominic played a singles match tonight, something that he was a little worried to do. But he played a great match. One area that was really a delight was his return of serve. On his opponent's serve, Dominic had such a smooth forehand swing, and he would knock the ball deep and attack the net behind it. Three times in a row he was able to force errors from his opponent with this same simple strategy. That's a great ability, the ability to be able to repeat what is working!

Ian's Serve

We've been working on fixing and fine tuning Ian's serve this year, so it was pretty cool to see it actually become a weapon at certain points during the match tonight. In one point in particular, Ian gouged a low slice serve wide to his opponent's forehand. The low trajectory and spin of the ball made his opponent hit up on the ball, instead of being able to drive it with force. Ian then stepped in a pounded a forehand down the middle of the court, just out of the comfortable reach of either opponent. The Raider net man tried to make a lunge for it, but it was low and powerful and he could only drag his volley into the net. It was a good example of what a spinning serve can do for Ian. 

Simple Doubles

Sometimes, the simple points are the most beautiful. In doubles, I love nothing more than a well placed serve followed up by a well placed volley. With Tristan serving and Cam roaming the net, there were many of these in the #1D match. I love that Cam follows this up with a "C'mon!" and going back to high five Tristan. These points are awesome because each player contributes, but it stays uncomplicated.

So Many More...

Emerson and Adam's growing communication, a couple of Keagan overheads, Gabo's returns, Gideon's first serve, Oscar's passing shots, Breece's drop volleys... there were more points that deserve description. So glad when we can celebrate these good moments!

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.

Late Nights

It was very cool to watch the varsity players get behind the JV in this match. After difficult matches themselves, they gathered around to watch the JV guys battle it out. Breece went and made sure each JV guy got a good shot on video for the Reel :-) They called out encouragement to the freshmen who were in close matches trying to stay positive. And there was no complaining even though the match went past 8:00 at night. I've heard other teams talking about how boring it is to watch their teammates, but I value how much fun these guys have supporting each other. It was great!

Keagan's Encouragement of His Partners

Keagan got to play with a couple of freshman tonight, and it was fun to see his encouragement of them. When they wanted to get down on themselves, he let them know there was nothing that they could do. Keagan is a player of all out effort, giving his best to the match. So it's fun to see him encouraging others to stay positive and bring their best. He's showing that he is a great doubles partner.

Moment of Intention

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

God, there were stretches of this match where we were encouraged, where we saw our hard work pay off, where we felt joy. There were periods of the match that we felt slow, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Let us learn to move toward the joy, to learn from the hard, and to make choices that increase the best in us. May we lift our teammates into these good places, may we lift our head, may we trust in You. Amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Breece Erickson - 1-6, 0-6 - Brendan LaCounte (12)
#2S - Noah Schrock - 0-6, 1-6 - Brandon Lomas (12)

#3S - Oscar Pairitz - 1-6, 1-6 - Kaleb Ellis (12)

#1D - Cameron Heinisch/Tristan Mast - 4-6, 2-6 - Mason Martin (12)/Harry Brown (12)

#2D - Ian McHugh/Gideon Miller -1-6, 2-6 - Elijah Shell (11)/Nolan Mellott (11)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Justin Hochstedler - 1-6 - Carter Krizmanich (12)

#2SJV - Dominic Ramer - 2-6 - Andrew McDonough (11)

#3SJV - Justin Hochstedler - 5-7 - Aden Yi (10)

#1DJV - Adam Siemens-Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 2-6 - Mason Bales (10)/Zak Martin (12)

#2DJV - Keagan Meyer/Gabo Brenneman Ochoa - 4-6 - Lucas Wensel (11)/Gabe Miller (11)

#3DJV - Adam Siemens-Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 6-1 - Vadim Kidun (11)/Tyler Garofalo (10)

#4DJV - Keagan Meyer/Dominic Ramer - 5-7 - Gavin Mullins (10)/Oliver Burnstine (9)

#5DJV - Adam Siemens-Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 6-1 - Daniel Vaughn (11)/Josiah Schrock (9)

#6DJV - Justin Hochstedler/Gabo Brenneman Ochoa - 6-4 - Joseph Snyder (9)/Payton Graber (9)

#7DJV - Adam Siemens-Rhodes/Emerson Landis - 6-0 - Silvan Von Holzen (9)/Jayden Ramirez (9)