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Today's tourney was a triple duel, meaning that we played three team matches in a row and the winner of the tournament was the team with the best record at the end of the day. This can be an exciting format, because the champion is really team-based rather than just on individuals.
And it would be a good test of our team. After the early season, we decided to shake up the lineup a bit. Cameron moved back to his singles position and Breece moved back to doubles, where they had both played last year. Our freshman, Gideon, got a chance to slide into a #1D slot, while Tristan took his #1 experience and moved to #2D. The team needed to trust new places and partnerships, and learn them quickly.
We started the day against Wawasee, a team that we've never really played outside of summer league matches. We didn't really know what to expect, but luckily we were coming in off of a good warmup and feeling good about the match. And the matches got off to good starts. Oscar and Noah both took large early leads in their singles matches. It was evident early that the players they were up against were going to have trouble with consistency. So Noah and Oscar controlled the points with great serves and solid rally strokes. Meanwhile, Wawasee's #1S was a different story. He was a powerful player who had great touch on his volleys. He came to the net often, and made Cameron hit more passing shots and lobs. Which meant that Cameron came up with some beautiful ones. But he couldn't quite get over the and into the lead. Cam often had the points to take games, but couldn't quite find the finishing touches. So in the singles matches we went 2-1.
That meant we needed one doubles point to clinch the match. Fortunately for us, both doubles teams performed well, and we got both. Breece and Gideon jelled quickly as a duo, and overwhelmed Wawasee with power, placement, and scrambling. And at #2D, Tristan and Ian struggled a bit to find a first set rhythm, but then got really rolling at the end of the first set and were the aggressors in their match. They controlled the mid-court of the match so well. So it was a strong start for the Bruins all around as we sealed the first match 4-1.
On to Bremen, who had lost an incredibly close match to Fremont in the first round. And we found our opponents in widely different runs of form. Some of the players who had lost close first matches were down, and found it difficult to find form. Those who had pulled out the close ones, they were playing their best tennis. It made for some really interesting matches.
The first matches out on the courts this round all started out really well. Cam took an early lead as his opponent started out making mistakes and Cam took advantage. Noah took a huge lead as his opponent was having trouble even getting the first ball of the rally in. Gideon and Breece started off with some great tennis, taking an early lead in their first set as well.
As these matches continued, Noah was able to just not make mistakes and allow his opponent to make the early errors in points. As the match wore on, his opponent found better form. The games got much tighter but Noah was able to force errors or find passing shots on the crucial points. The second set was closer than the scoreline, but Noah was able to come out on top. For Cam, his opponent began to really show his class after going down early. Big serves and big forehands made tough work for Cam, but he really stayed in every game. He pushed his Lion opponent around the court, but it seemed like something clicked for the Bremen #1. So Cam ended up falling in lots of close games.
With the singles split at 1-1, Breece and Gid really found a nice rhythm in their match. They were starting to play doubles like it should be played, smart and aggressive. Breece's serve set up Gideon for a couple of great finishing slams, and Breece's solid net play and net coverage was also a joy to watch. In the end, they had to much power and control and took a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
With two points secured, heads turned to #2D, where Tristan paired with Emerson. It was tight, but like I wrote about in the Fremont match, we put the pressure on the Lions by always staying just slightly ahead in the scoreline. A lot of that was due to our excellent serving. Tristan and Emerson both were putting the pressure on with their first serves. And then they were able to scramble through points and keep them alive.
This ability in doubles is something that is really underrated. There are so many mishits, shanks, short volleys, or half lobs that happen in a doubles match. It's really important to be able to adjust on the fly and find the court. To keep the point alive and get yourself into aggressive positions when you can't take aggressive shots. Emerson and Tristan were able to win those 50-50 breakdown points in this match. It helped them always keep their nose in front, winning the first set 6-3 and then taking 5-4 lead in the final set. On match point, they had one of those scrambling points, and Emerson scooped it up and forced an error. Tristan and Emerson secured the third team point for us, giving us our second team win on the day! You can watch that final point of the Bremen match below.
Meanwhile, Oscar went out to play his match against Bremen's #3. Bremen's player was a left handed player, and he was hitting every spot he wanted. He looked on fire, as Oscar would hit a blistering shot down the line and it would simple come back on the other sideline. Unfortunately, somewhere in the first set Oscar's injury began to flare up, and in the second set it was too much. He had to stop play. That was disappointing for him, but we're hoping he gets back to full health quickly.
Still, a victory over Bremen meant that we moved on to Fremont and it was basically a championship match. Fremont had also defeated Wawasee, and we were both 2-0 on the day. The winner of our match would be the tournament champion.
This match started off really well for the Bruins. Noah, #1D, and #2D really started out with great belief and intention. Tristan and Emerson were really forcing errors and finishing points off at #2D. They were continuing to put the pressure on with good serves. Gideon and Breece were continuing their great net play and more. Noah had won a long match against this same opponent on Thursday night, winning in a third set tiebreak. Today, in a tired third round, his opponent didn't even bring the same tactics that he had been successful with in the Thursday night match. So Noah was able to build a big lead in the first set.
Cameron however struggled with Fremont's #1S. Again, Fremont's #1 had built confidence through the day. He had won two close matches, so really played his best in the first set. Cameron again pushed so many games to deuce or had game points. But couldn't get the first set. So we captured the first set in 3 of the 4 matches that were on the court.
But all the second sets tightened up. Cameron brought pressure to the second set, finding passing shots and long rallies to keep his match alive and make it full of nerves. Fremont brought their best tennis to the doubles matches, taking a 4-1 lead at #1D and taking the second set of #2D. Only Noah was able to maintain his edge, finishing off his second set and giving the Bruins a 1-0 team lead.
As the second sets grew close, #2D was the first to finish. The Eagles won the set and that took it to a third set tiebreak to 10. The Eagles started out quickly, taking a 5-2 lead. But Emerson and Tristan stayed committed, kept belief. They fought back to finally tie the breaker at 7-7 with an excellent serve by Emerson. But then they couldn't quite edge ahead. Instead they went down 8-7 and felt the pressure, and ended up losing the third set breaker. So the score tied at 1-1.
Cameron played extremely hard in his set. He hung right around, keeping the score close. Again, he never edged ahead, and at the end of the set, his Eagle opponent was able to find the breakthrough. Soon after the #2D tiebreak ended, Cam's second set ended and we were down 2-1.
At #1D, Gideon and Breece mounted a comeback. From 4-1 down they won three straight. Here they were rediscovering some of their movement and power that they had lost to timidity in going down. But at 4-4 they lost a game, going down 5-4 with the chance to lose the set. However, they held their nerve, broke serve and then Breece held to give them a 6-5 lead for themselves. In the next game, they build a 15-40 lead and had two match points. However a clever volley from the Eagles and a missed return took it back to deuce. They earned two more match points from there, but couldn't put those away either, and the second set went to a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Gideon and Breece were able to build a lead of 6-4 after a nice smash by Gideon and a great serve by Breece. However, once again they were denied on match points. Tied at 6-6, Gideon served and Breece finished off a great net play to give them another chance. This time they closed it out after a nice return from Breece and an error from their opponents.
So tied at 2-2, all eyes turned to #3S. Ian McHugh was stepping in for us in Oscar Pairitz's place. It was a tough spot for Ian, as he's been practicing doubles all season. But he responded. After falling behind in the first set, he rediscovered his serve. This allowed him to really put the pressure on his Eagle opponent with long consistent points. He was able to pull a few games back, but ultimately lost the first set. In the second set, the senior #3S player for Fremont really stepped up his hitting. He went for more power and forced Ian back onto this heels more. Ian kept up the belief, but had a few too many errors in his first singles match. It ended up going the way of the Eagles, and they took home the trophy with a 3-2 win.
I was incredibly proud of our team in this one. In many ways, it felt like a championship. We competed in nervy situations, won close matches, and got to experience growth in new positions. We stayed positive with a lot of adversity around us. Our strokes and strategies are growing. We can do it! That was a good feeling.
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 :-)
I'll give more details soon, but here are the highlights for now!
Gideon getting knocked down but winning the point!
During the Fremont match, Gideon and Breece had a stretch where they were playing unbelievable, especially at the net. Fremont couldn't get anything past them. So much so that the Eagle players were getting angry. In frustration, one of the players blasted a ball at Gideon with all of his might. The ball knocked Gideon backwards, onto his behind. But he got his racket up first, and the ball ticked off his racket for the perfect drop shot :-)
Tristan's un-get-able drop shot!
Speaking of drop shots, against Bremen, T had one of the best shots I've seen all year. The touch was incredible. After Emerson's serve, a forehand return was blasted at Tristan. He reacted quickly, slicing underneath it while moving to the side. The ball curled over the net and backed up, just an inch off the ground. Bremen's coach was even walking past and remarked, "What a shot!"
Breece's roll along the net!
In the match against Fremont, Breece had the craziest shot. Off of a half volley, the ball tip the tape. Then it rolled along the net, from the middle of the court almost all the way to the single's sideline! It then took one more forward roll onto the opponent's side. Breece was laughing and asking if anyone got a video. We didn't though :-( It was such a fun moment!
Cameron's running forehand!
Maybe one of our best shots of the year. Cameron had to deal with his opponents often coming to the net. During the Wawasee match, he found himself down set point. His opponent sent him into the backhand corner with his serve, then swung an approach shot over to the forehand corner. Cameron took off at a dead sprint and whipped it down the line, landing it right on the backline and the sideline, but keeping himself alive in the set. Here's the shot in the video below!
Emerson's ace!
Serving in his first match with Tristan, Emerson got off to a great start. On his first serve he drew a return error. On his second serve he slammed an ace down the middle. It was cool to see him get off on a good foot with this new partnership. See his ace below as well!
Overheads! Overheads! Overheads!
I mean, this isn't very specific, but we hit great overheads today. Breece, Noah, Gideon, Emerson, Tristan, Ian... we had a lot of fun, aggressive putaways - and I just loved that!
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.
This segment is where I'll highlight ways that we built each other up during the match or the lead up to it.
Attitudes
We made a lot of changes headed into this match yesterday. It would have been easy for people to be resentful, fearful, angry or many other things. But the guys came into this match with the best attitudes. They had so much support for those in new places, for the guys who had been shifted into their old spots. The positivity of the day was amazing, even when the last round didn't quite work out. I love a good tournament day, where the sun shines and the team comes together. And it was amazing to see these guys adjust and stay encouraging! That's why it's a joy to coach all of you!
Moment of Intention
This is a space where I will offer a short prayer for the team.
God, today was a day of good feelings. But it was also a day of difficulties. Thanks for helping us face those difficulties with joy and encouragement. We pray for Your presence, we pray for Your healing, we pray for continued joy. God, may we be grateful for the blessings, grateful for the support, and always looking to build one another up. Amen.
Scores
Round 1 vs. Wawasee
#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 3-6, 3-6 - Joey Harper (10)
#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Will Long (11)
#3S - Oscar Pairitz - 6-1, 6-0 - Dane Cripe (10)
#1D - Breece Erickson/Gideon Miller - 6-2, 6-1 - Jay Duncan (12)/Kane Dukes (10)
#2D - Tristan Mast/Ian McHugh - 6-3, 6-0 - Evan Byler (10)/Caden Pratt (11)
Round 2 vs. Bremen
#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 3-6, 0-6 - Mariano DeLeon (12)
#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-1 - Camden Hickman (11)
#3S - Oscar Pairitz - 1-6, 0-3 (ret.) - Max Varner (11)
#1D - Breece Erickson/Gideon Miller - 6-3, 6-1 - Brock Garder (10)/Micah Porter (9)
#2D - Tristan Mast/Emerson Landis - 6-3, 6-4 - Landon Bates (9)/Maddux Hickman (9)
Round 3 vs. Fremont
#1S - Cameron Heinisch - 2-6, 3-6 - Brody Foulk (11)
#2S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-1 - Colten Guthrie (10)
#3S - Ian McHugh - 3-6, 1-6 - Jeremy Rode (12)
#1D - Breece Erickson/Gideon Miller - 6-1, 7-6 (6) - Aiden Dornbush (12)/Andrew McAntarfer (11)
#2D - Tristan Mast/Emerson Landis - 6-2, 3-6, 7-10 - Corbin Beeman (11)/Tyler Miller (9)
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